


Captain's Choice

by karmacanary



Series: The Memory Keeper Series [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 13:37:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3328445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karmacanary/pseuds/karmacanary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain's Choice is a series of short stories that all go along with The Memory Keeper Series. You'll read more about Killian's quest to get to Emma in S3, Killian and Emma's life together, their wedding (and Killian's bachelor party - "Hangover" style!) and the early days with their children. Lots of fluff and even some steam. You'll also see some backstory for Meriel and Finn's stories.<br/>I'll update with other chapters as I post the remaining parts of The Memory Keeper Trilogy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Best Laid Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set before The Memory Keeper**

"Everybody just calm down!" David's voice carried like a command, but it still took a few minutes before the voices around the table settled enough for him to continue.

"The beans are still months away from harvest. We've got plenty of time to hash this out in all it's entirety, but I think the sooner we start the planning process, the easier it'll be on us all."

"I don't see why we have to waste time talking," Grumpy said. "It's simple enough. You've got a task, and the dwarves will do it. We always get the job done." His fellow dwarves echoed him loudly, pumping their fists in the air and calling out affirmations. David put his hand up again, signalling for quiet.

"Grumpy, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but a team of dwarves showing up at Emma's door isn't going to work."

"It'll just freak her out," Neal pointed out. "Seven strange, short men with pickaxes would freak anybody out."

"And seeing her ex-boyfriend won't?" Regina said, raising an eyebrow.

Neal ran his hand through his hair. "Look, Henry's my son, and Emma's my -"

Regina raised both brows now. "Your what? Ex-girlfriend? The one who didn't want you to have anything to do with her or your son? How do you think she'll react to you ringing her doorbell?"

Snow gave Neal a sympathetic look. "She's right, Neal. Emma's bound to react badly to seeing you." She took a breath, looking around the table. "And I can't go - not with a baby on the way."

Regina looked over at David. "Shall we take a chance that she won't develop a crush on Daddy?"

"Eww." Grumpy made a face.

"Eww is right." Red made the same face. "I could go. Maybe I could talk to her."

Granny made a sound of disapproval. "Time doesn't run concurrently between here and there, you know. What if you arrive right in the middle of wolf's time?"

"We can't risk that," David agreed. "And I can't go. I'm not leaving my pregnant wife." He reached down, grasping Snow's hand. She smiled up at him.

"What about you, Blue?" Snow asked. "Can you go? Disguise yourself, maybe?"

Blue shook her head sadly. "No, I'm afraid not. Both Green and I are needed far too much here, especially with the witch starting to cause trouble. She could be dangerous."

Regina pushed her chair back from the table. "Well, I guess that leaves me. I was the best choice, to begin with."

Snow shook her head vehemently. "Regina, think about what you're saying. Are you going to be able to pretend to be somebody other than Henry's mother? To not treat him like he's your son? You're bound to slip, and then Emma will most assuredly pick up on it and see you as a threat."

Regina looked affronted. "What are you talking about. I can be quite charming." She slid her eyes over to David. "No pun intended."

"She's right," David said. "You're going to be mooning over Henry and Emma will get suspicious. It won't work." He mused on that for a minute. "What about Rumpelstiltskin? Could we ask him?"

"Right. Send the creepiest guy in the kingdom to her door." Neal rolled his eyes. "That'll go over well."

"I suppose I could go," Granny offered.

"A little old lady like you on the streets of a big city?" Grumpy said, incredulously.

"You think I can't handle myself?" Granny said, narrowing her eyes.

"No, I think you'll end up hurting someone," Grumpy said, throwing his hands up. "Or in jail for murder. You can't walk down main street with a crossbow over there, you know."

"The hell I can't!"

"Granny!

Regina threw up her hands. "And that's why we need diplomacy!"

Granny, Red and Regina were all talking over each other, so David pounded on the table in an effort to restore some order. Finally, everyone quieted down. David took a deep breath, shifting his gaze down to the end of the table.

"You've been awfully quiet down there, Hook. If you have anything to add, we'd like to hear it."

Hook had been leaning back on two legs in his chair, arms folded, face impassive, just watching the show in front of him play out. He now righted himself, unfolded his arms and shrugged.

"You've all said everything there is to be said. I have no pre-existing biases - at least not with this Emma - no magical issues that might threaten anyone, no homicidal tendencies, and I've all the good looks, cunning and trickery I need to make my way in an unfamiliar place and track down someone who may be entirely different than the person we _think_ we're looking for. It has to be me."

"And what's to stop you from staying there?" Neal asked, angrily. "Forgetting all about us and never reminding Emma of any of it?"

Hook's eyes were cold and his voice was hard. "I know you and I have no love lost between us, but I'll not deny you your son." He looked over at David and Snow. "And I'll not deny Emma her family."

"How can we trust you?" Granny said suspiciously.

"I could have left half of you in Neverland. For that matter, I could have sailed off as soon as we all got pulled back here and never laid eyes on any of you again. But there's more at stake here, and I'm a part of it now."

David's eyes slid sideways to Snow, and she bit her lip, nodding slightly.

"Hook's right," he said. "And I owe him my life. I think that earns him a bit of trust from me."

"And me," Snow agreed, nodding.

Regina rolled her eyes. "He _is_ right. He's better equipped than any of us to track her down over there. He's used to working without magic."

Blue looked down the table. "It should be Hook," she said, smiling a mysterious little smile. "He is exactly who should go."

David nodded. "It's decided then. We'll meet again this same time next month and start going over a plan."

Everyone started pushing chairs back and getting up from the table, talking and hugging and saying their goodnights. Hook lingered, making his way over to Snow.

"May I have a word?" His voice was low, but insistent.

A frown creased Snow's forehead. "Of course." He took her by the elbow, leading her a short distance away.

"About the plan..." He looked over at the others. "I -"

Snow took in a sharp breath. "You've found a way. You've found a way to Emma."

He was taken aback by her astute response. "Yes. At least, I believe so. I leave tomorrow."

Snow studied his face a moment. "Do I want to know how?"

He gave her a crooked grin, but she didn't miss the trepidation in his eyes. "Don't want to bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that there's a chance I may be dead instead of leaving. Which is why I need to let someone know I'm trying. If I'm not back in a week, you'll know I've failed."

"And then what?" Snow asked. "How do we rescue you?"

He sighed. "You don't. There's no rescue from this. But you'll need to send someone to get Emma, and that should be Neal."

Snow looked at him like he was crazy. "Didn't we just establish that it would be a bad idea?"

"Initially, it would be. But he's Henry's father. Her desire to let Henry have that relationship will lead to her letting him back into her life on some sort of basis, just like it did before. If he's smarter this time 'round, he may actually win her over."

He couldn't hide the flash of pain in his eyes as he said it, and Snow reached out, touching his shoulder.

"My money's on you, Hook. You find her. You bring her back to us."

He nodded. "I'll do everything in my power. You have my word."

She gave him a cheeky grin. "The word of a pirate?"

He smiled back. "The word of a man who wants your daughter back as badly as you do."

Snow's eyes slid over to Neal. "I know you do." She leaned up, kissing him on the cheek. "Stay safe, Hook."

"You're not going to try to talk me out of it?" he asked.

"Would it make a difference?"

"No." He called over his shoulder, heading for the door.

Snow hugged herself, watching him go as David sidled up next to her. "What was that all about?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

He gave her a look of confusion. "Why?"

"Because I want Emma to have her best chance," she said, putting an arm around her husband. "And I think...I think maybe he's it."


	2. In Triton's Court

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set before The Memory Keeper**

"You know where you're going?" the old salt asked him. "If you don't sail in at exactly the right point of the tide and under the full moon, you won't see the opening to the cave."

"I've got it." Hook placed a handful of coins in the man's outstretched hand.

The man reached across, gripping his hand. "And you understand the price?"

Hook eyed him somberly. "Aye. I do."

"She'd better be worth it, mate."

"How do you know it's a woman?"

"It's always a woman," the old salt spit on the dock. "Only a piece of skirt could drive a man to this kind of lunacy."

"Indeed."

###

He hadn't expected a warm welcome, but this was ridiculous. How many tridents could one man have pointed at his neck, anyway?

He was pulled by a heavily twined seaweed rope about his neck and he stumbled over rocks and shells down a narrow passage that seemed to get deeper but never submerged. Finally, the passageway opened up into a large chamber, glittering and covered in crystals and gems. One chip off the wall would buy a man anything his heart desired.

That is, if his heart desired riches. Hook had a different focus, and if he wasn't very, very careful here, he'd most certainly die with that desire unfulfilled.

"Bring him forward," an authoritative voice rang out. Hook tried to pin the voice to one of the hundreds gathered in the chamber, but it was impossible to differentiate them much. There were mer-people and even sirens wall-to-wall, and they looked uniformly unfriendly.

He was dragged through the masses, then shoved unceremoniously to his knees in front of a giant, shell and gem encrusted throne.

"Speak. Who are you and why are you here?"

Hook raised his head, looking up at the man on the throne. So this was King Triton. He didn't look nearly as imposing as he'd expected. The silver hair and glowing trident were a little foppish for Hook's tastes, but the man was a king, after all. He was expected to be a bit flamboyant.

"My name is Hook," he answered. "And I've come to ask a favor."

The entire court broke out in raucous laughter, made even louder as it ricocheted off the walls and echoed down the halls of the cavern. Triton held up his trident, signalling for quiet.

"Well now," he said, with a good deal of obvious boredom. "Isn't this amusing?" He stepped down off his throne, coming to stand before Hook.

"Rise, mortal."

Hook gained his feet, then proffered a short bow. "Your majesty. I have come to ask - "

He stopped short at the feel of the trident in the side of his neck.

"Ask?" Triton said, with a good deal of venom. "You _ask_ nothing. I do not grant favors. A boon is not something easily granted in this court. Whoever sent you here has put you on a fool's errand."

Hook lowered his eyes. "I meant no disrespect. I only wish to inform you of a situation that may be of interest to you."

Triton went back to his throne, leaning his trident carelessly against his leg. "I have dominion over all the realm of the sea. There is nothing you can tell me that I haven't got the knowledge of already."

"This is about events that are occurring on land - but it's only a matter of time before you feel the effects as well."

Triton raised a silver brow. "You're referring to the witch."

"Yes. If she comes to power, it will affect the entire realm. I need to get through to another realm and bring someone back who could be instrumental in helping us."

Triton shrugged. "What happens on land is of little consequence to me."

"I can pay you." Hook entreated.

Triton laughed. "Do I look like I need payment?" He gestured to the walls all around them.

"Perhaps I can pay you in service." Hook tried, but failed to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Please. I'll do anything."

"He's very pretty," one of the mermaids said.

"And so very eager to please," said another.

"Pathetic," said a merman, crossing his hands over his chest.

"I say we kill him," said someone else further toward the back. The entire room began to discuss, bringing about a dull roar that echoed all over the cave.

"Enough." Triton said, holding up a hand. "While this has certainly been amusing, I see no need for any intervention. More mortals dying means less of them crowding up the sea. So you'll have to excuse us Mr...?"

"Jones. 'Hook' is a nickname."

Triton got slowly to his feet again, giving Hook a glittering, smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Jones, did you say?"

"Killian Jones." Hook eyed him uneasily.

"And how do you propose to survive the passage of a water portal?"

"My ship is the Jolly Roger," Hook explained. "She's made of enchanted wood that can withstand any portal you can send us through."

Triton returned once again to his throne, stroking his trident with careful fingers as he mulled the situation over.

"Hmmm. An interesting series of events." He smiled to himself. "Most interesting." He steepled his fingers together, looking at Hook over the top of them. "Very well," he finally said. "We do love our amusements. Perhaps we can make a wager."

Hook smiled, with all the charm he could muster - despite the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach that this was turning bad. Very, very bad. "I love a good wager," he managed.

"A man of changing fortunes, like any good pirate. This should add some excitement to your limited mortal existence. I'll have the mermaids direct you to a water portal. I'll even widen it for you - temporarily, of course - and then we'll see if you can sail your ship through and back successfully."

"And if I do?"

"You win your life."

Hook raised his eyebrows. That went a bit better than he'd hoped. "Fair enough. When do we set out?"

"You can leave anytime," Triton said, with an entirely too benevolent smile. "Oh, but there's just one thing."

Hook gritted his teeth. "Yes?"

"You win your life as long as you remain on the land."

"And if I go on the sea?"

"Then the curse of the mermaids will take you," Triton said, waving his hand carelessly. "No matter where you are. You'll never see water again, outside of a cup or a cooking pot."

Hook swallowed hard. "It's a lifelong curse?"

"Be glad it ends with your miserable life," Triton said, smiling. "But I'm on your side, human. Perhaps with no sea to lure you to adventure, you'll find more interesting pursuits on the ground."

Hook's jaw tightened and he closed his eyes against the pain. Give up the sea? How could he give up the sea? It was in his blood. It was as much a part of him as the air he breathed. He felt a moment of pure panic, and thought wildly that perhaps if he broke into a run, he could take them by surprise. He didn't want to do this.

He took a deep breath. There was no sense in running. He was going to do this, he knew it from the moment the deal was offered. He'd have made a deal with the devil himself to get to Emma. Whatever it took. He didn't know what kind of a life he could have with her on land, even if he could get her to remember who he was to begin with.

The alternative was a life without Emma, and that was no life at all. This last year had proved it over and over, leaving him with an ache in his gut that no amount of rum could remove.

He turned his eyes back to Triton. "We have an accord."

Laughter played across the walls and echoed about the room again as the mer-folk laughed at the silly human. Triton had a chuckle himself, studying Hook with eyes full of ill-concealed mirth.

"One of my people will guide you to the portal and widen it for you," he said. "And remember, mortal...I'm counting on you to live a long and full life."

Hook gave him an uneasy nod before he found himself ushered out and back into the waters of the cove. He climbed back up the ladder to his ship, pulling himself onto the deck.

"Remember," the mermaid said, floating below him, "You'll have five days before the portal closes. We'll allow you to return to shore, but once you've made port, you must give up the sea forever."

"Understood." He made his way to the wheel deck, releasing the strap that tied it off, and then hoisted his anchor and let the wind fill the sails.

He kept the mermaid's tail in sight as it flipped and spun in the water, but his thoughts were far away, in another realm.

He was going to find her. And the pirate in him couldn't help but wonder if he should just grab her and keep sailing. Just the two of them and Henry, flying across the seas, never tying themselves to land again. Going where the wind sent them and saying to hell with obligations and roots and responsibilities.

Even as he though it, he knew he could never do it. Not now. Not now that Emma had come into his life. Somehow, she had done the impossible. She'd made him into the man he'd always wanted to be, despite his darker inclinations.

His brother Liam had always expected he'd flesh out this way, and had told him so on more than one occasion. He'd always told himself that all the best there was of his family name had died with Liam, and here he was, determined to save the world.

Hook smiled. He supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised by his own behavior. He looked on in awe as the mermaid flipped her tail and the portal began to swirl, pulsing and widening as the sea churned around it. He took a deep breath, then rounded the ship right into the center.

 _Time to save the world, Killian,_ he thought to himself. _Now that you've found a woman worth saving it for._


	3. Miracle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set during The Memory Keeper**

Hook carefully laid Emma down, shifting her from one side to another as he pulled the covers back, then stripping her down and replacing them over her. She was so tired, she barely stirred, mumbling something incoherent as her hand reached out, sliding along his arm before falling limply back down at her side.

He sat on the edge of the bed, watching the rise and fall of her chest, and his hand reached out, settling gently on the softness of her belly, still flat and holding it's secret.

Could she be carrying his child?

That would explain her fatigue - not that she wasn't entitled to any after the pace they'd been setting, but it did seem extreme for her. And the witch seemed to take a serious interest in Emma, as well.

Hook's hand tightened into a fist. There was no way she was getting her twisted green hands on Emma. Or his child. She wasn't going to drain the life out of either of them.

A shudder went through him. No. Nothing was going to happen. Nothing. He was here and he would keep them safe. His eyes closed and he took a deep breath even as he acknowledged - with a certain despair - that there were some monsters you just couldn't fight. But he was smarter this time. Prepared. And Emma's family was around her now.

His heart began to slow, not pounding as frantically now.

Holy God.

He took a moment just to let it all sink in. He'd spent so long not worrying about the possibility of ever impregnating anyone, that it hadn't even occurred to him. There had been so many women - surely after all this time they numbered in the hundreds at the very least. A disjointed smattering of names and faces and body parts - some more memorable than others and very few worth a return visit.

Yet in all that tomcatting he'd been careful. The last thing he ever wanted was a bastard child of his out there somewhere, growing up without a father. He'd sought out a witch and paid for a spell long ago that protected him from any such eventuality. Once it took hold he would be unable to get anyone with child - unless he truly wanted to.

And now he sat, flabbergasted by the fact that he must've truly wanted to, with Emma.

If he looked at the situation without bias and from a dispassionate point of view, he certainly could have done worse. She'd make a superlative mother - he'd never seen a woman as fierce in her motherhood in all his life. She loved Henry with a depth that amazed him on a regular basis, never having had it's equal in his own childhood. And this baby would be born into a family that would surely cherish and protect it for all the days of its life. Of course, it went without saying that the child would be bloody gorgeous, with a mother as beautiful as Emma and his own rogue-ish good looks combined with hers.

So he must've recognized all that on some level, and wanted this. He just hadn't realized that he had, so he really hadn't given it much thought. Everything was too new with Emma. They were still just discovering each other, after all. How had a child come to figure into it when he hadn't even considered the notion?

 _Well,_ he thought, with a raise of his brows, _I'm bloody well considering it now._

And if he were honest with himself, he knew why he hadn't consciously allowed himself to think about it. It was because he honestly didn't think he'd ever be able to obtain something like this - a woman like Emma, and a child born of a woman like Emma. It was like some grand fairy tale, unreachable, especially to the likes of him.

But there she lay, sleeping peacefully, and his child, his _daughter_ , possibly - maybe even probably - sleeping within her. The two greatest treasures of his life, under the warmth of his outstretched hand. He blinked hard, but it was useless. The tears welled up in his eyes and he took a deep, shuddering breath.

There was no hope for it. He was utterly, magnificently undone.

He leaned over, kissing her belly softly before he crawled into bed next to her, pulling her in and holding her tight. His thoughts went fleetingly to Milah, and the sadness was still there, but not as it once was. His life with Milah was far from a fairy tale. It seemed like they were always on the run, relishing their rootless existence. Nothing to tie them down or make them feel any sense of obligation. Nothing to indulge but their own whims in any way they saw fit.

He loved her with everything he'd had back then, but upon some painful self-reflection - most of it done in that bloody jungle while he watched Emma sleep - he realized that all he had back then wasn't much. He was shallow and self-absorbed and not particularly caring about the fact that he was. He'd had centuries to relive his mistakes, to rethink his choices, to examine his motives, and he never had. Not until this woman, this one remarkable woman told him she understood him. Not until she asked him to be more than he was, because she thought he had it in him to be that kind of man.

All that time on that God-forsaken island, watching her and her family, realizing just how badly he wanted her -and all of them - to see him as that man. And if he could be that man, he just might have a chance at it.

A chance at Happily Ever After. And that would include Emma and a family and a life with friends and more family and laughter and love. He never knew how very much he wanted it until he dared to think he might have a chance at it.

And he'd have never considered it even a faint possibility before Emma.

He kissed the back of her neck, relishing the feel and smell and heat of her in his arms. He'd been alone for so very, very long, and so had she for as long as she could remember. Two kindred souls, reaching out to each other through their loneliness and pain, finding solace in the way they each understood the fragility of life, of love, of finding someone who sees you for not just who you are, but who you want to be, and wants that for you just as badly.

Hook believed in magic. It was in the world all around him. He'd seen it with his own eyes, both the dark and the useful forms. But until recently, he'd never believed in miracles.

Now he was a part of one, and had assisted in the creation of one. It was more than a man like him could ever deserve, no matter how many lifetimes he lived. He closed his eyes, feeling the pull of sleep, his mouth curving into a smile at the thought of a little girl, cherub-faced, maybe with her father's eyes, with pigtails and frilly dresses and smiles, growing up to be as beautiful as her mother.

Bloody hell.

His eyes snapped open at the thought of baby girl Jones becoming grown woman Jones, gowned and grown and lovely, with an endless stream of inept, slobbering suitors stealing kisses and vying for her attention.

It was a long, long time before he slept.


	4. Caught In A Bad Bromance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set during The Memory Keeper**

"Do you promise you guys won't get out of hand?" Snow asked again, for the third time. "The wedding is tomorrow and I won't have Emma's special day ruined by a groom with a hangover."

Killian raised a brow, looking at her with a comical expression. "D'you really think I can't handle my rum?"

"Relax," Neal added. "The wedding's not till sunset. That's plenty of time for Killian to sleep it off. He'll need his rest, anyway - he's gonna be up all night." Neal waggled his brows, giving Killian an elbow to the ribs.

"Really?" Snow glared at Neal.

"I'm joking! Sort of." Neal held up his hands apologetically.

"You just told the girl's mother that he's going to be going at her daughter all night." Graham pointed out.

"Enough!" Snow put her fingers to a spot between her eyes, rubbing. "Just...be reasonable. No drinking to delirium. No broken bones. No starting fights or falling in the ocean or anything too ridiculous. Just go have a nice, chummy drink and get him home at a decent hour."

Snow's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of her husband, who was clearly excited about a boy's night out.

"The dwarves are meeting us down at the tavern. Are we ready?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Are you?" Snow asked, looking around at the group apprehensively.

"Of course I am," he said, clapping Killian on the back. "I'm taking my future son-in-law out for his bachelor party, and I'm still young enough to kick his ass. What could possibly go wrong?"

###

David opened his eyes slowly. Very, very slowly. The first thing he was aware of was the floor, mainly because he seemed to have his face smashed into it. He moved his tongue about inside his mouth, but it felt as though someone had spread it over with glue. The taste was...well, it was indescribable, and not in a good way.

He groaned, rolling over. That was a mistake. The entire room shifted and whirled around him, causing his stomach to lurch to the point where he thought he was going to be ill. He took several deep, cleansing breaths and then managed to pull himself up to his knees.

"What the hell happened?" He groaned again, glancing around the room. He was at the tavern, that much he could glean. But he had no idea how long he'd been there. A slow sweep of his head from side-to-side showed something straight out of an apocalyptic nightmare. Dwarves were scattered all over the room, littering the floor, slumped over tables and - was that Sneezy? - half-naked and sleeping on the bar.

Graham was on his feet, but barely, staggering toward the water closet. Neal was face-down, not far from the door, with his arm outstretched as though he had been trying to make it through and dropped where he stood. There was no sign of Killian.

David managed to push himself the rest of the way up to his feet, holding his head gingerly. "What time is it?" he asked no one in particular.

"Early." The voice came from Grumpy, who was sitting slumped over at a table. He lifted his head and tried hard to focus his bleary eyes on David without a lot of success.

"Guys!" Graham's panicked voice broke in as he staggered back into the room. "There's a chimera in the water closet!"

"Has anyone seen Killian?" David asked. Graham gave him a shrug, still clearly trying to get over relieving himself next to a chimera, and Grumpy rubbed his eyes, then laid his head back down on the tabletop.

"That's a hell of a blackened eye you've got there," David remarked, looking at Graham. "Wake Neal up," He cradled his head in his hand. "We need to find Killian and get back to the castle before Snow comes after me and I get an arrow in my ass."

Graham managed, with great difficulty, to roll Neal over, semi-rousing him. Neal threw an arm across his eyes to shield them, mumbling "Not now, Tink."

"Neal." Graham shook him. "Neal, wake up."

Neal finally stretched, then looked around in surprise. "What am I doing on the floor?"

"It seemed like a good place to be for most of us," David replied dryly. "We need to find Killian."

Neal sat up. "Oh yeah. The wedding...thing. That's today, isn't it?" He ran a hand over his face, pressing against a tender spot on his lip. "Hey guys? Am I missing a tooth?"

He opened his mouth wide, and Graham peered down at him. "Oh my God! You are!"

"He's missing a tooth?" David staggered over.

"Holy shit!" Neal looked up at David. "Your face!"

"What about my face?" David asked, panicked. He stumbled over to the bar, rolling Sneezy off a silver serving platter, then tilted it up so he could see his reflection.

"What the HELL!" he swung around, bellowing. "I've got a tattoo! How did I get a tattoo?"

Graham leaned in, peering at it with confusion. "Is that... a kitten? And flowers?"

The tavern owner's voice reached them from the top of the stairs. "I believe you wanted a lion, clutching a snowdrop, but you let that sappy dwarf do it."

"His name is Dopey," Grumpy supplied.

"I HAVE A KITTEN TATTOOED ON MY FACE!" David roared.

"Yeah, well, I'm missing a tooth!" Neal said, with no less heat.

"Worst of all," Graham added, "We're missing a groom."

David put his elbows on the bar, cradling his tattooed face in his hands. "Snow is gonna kill me."

###

They'd all finally gathered around a table, after a thorough search of the tavern and the street outside failed to yield a pirate.

"Okay," David said. "Let's piece this together. What's the last thing anyone remembers?"

"We all shared that bottle of rum that Grumpy brought," Neal offered, while rubbing his eyes. "The one with the weird aftertaste."

Grumpy gave him a dark look. "Yeah, we did that. And Killian was with us."

Neal nodded. "He was. Everything after that is sort of blurry." He looked over at the tavern keeper. "Any idea how I lost my tooth?"

The tavern owner shrugged. "Maybe you did it chasing the chimera?"

"So we were in the forest?" Graham asked. "How long?"

"A couple of hours. Long enough to find the chimera. You wanted to make a gift of him to the bride-to-be." The three men exchanged glances. Yeah, that would have gone over well.

"You might want to try Granny's place," the man offered. "She's right on the edge of the woods, and you took that path. Maybe your friend is sleeping it off there."

Half an hour later, Granny was glaring at the lot of them with open disapproval. "You showed up here, spaced out of your minds, screaming about how you were going to find a chimera and paint it white for Emma's wedding day. Then you got into a fistfight and I threw all of you out."

"A fistfight?" David looked confused.

"How do you think brainless over there lost his tooth? You buried your fist in his mouth."

Neal and David looked at each other in surprise. Then David glanced down at the back of his hand. It was bruised, with a deep gouge in the knuckle.

"Why were we fighting...exactly?" David asked Granny.

"Well, Graham wasn't fighting - he was talking about all of you being some kind of wolf pack and swore he could leap that fence over there. The fence won." she smirked. "And he opened his smart mouth," Granny said, pointing at Neal. "He reminded Hook that he 'nailed Emma first' and you flipped him around and yelled 'Did you just say you nailed my daughter?' and before I knew it, there was blood on the floor and Hook was standing there laughing his ass off."

"So Killian was definitely with us then," Graham observed. "Where did we go afterward, do you know?"

"Hook said something about having paint on board his ship. That's the last I saw of you. Idiots." She slammed the door in their faces.

"I can't believe you punched me in the face," Neal said, rubbing his jaw tenderly as they walked toward the docks.

"You're lucky you don't have a hook in your neck," David said with a glower. "How the hell did we get so drunk, anyway?"

"Uh...that might've kind-of been my fault... a little." Grumpy said, sheepishly. "I went to Regina for a strengthening spell and I added it to the rum."

David stopped in his tracks. "You what?"

"I thought it might add to the fun. Sort of kick things off with a bang," he shrugged, giving them an apologetic smile.

David stared at him in total disbelief. "I've got a kitten tattooed on my face! Neal is missing a tooth! And Graham here almost got his private parts gnawed off by a chimera! How is that in any way fun?"

"Sorry," Grumpy replied with a frown. "Yeesh."

They were making their way down the dock, almost to the Jolly Roger when Graham stopped short. "David! Check this out."

They all crowded around, and there, buried in the dock a good inch or more was a hook.

"Why in the hell would he leave his hook stuck in the dock like that?" Neal asked. "He must've really slammed it down."

David shook his head. "I don't know. Let's just get aboard the ship. If we're lucky, he's sleeping in the Captain's cabin."

They couldn't get so lucky. Killian wasn't in his cabin, or anywhere else on deck or below. And they were fresh out of clues.

"We're going to have to call in the big guns," David said. "It's time to get Regina down here."

Her coach pulled up forty-five minutes later, and the men met her on the dock.

"What took you so long?" David complained. "I sent that kid to the castle half an hour ago."

"I had to pick out something to wear," she said, looking perturbed. As she stepped down out of the carriage, David turned and she got the full view of his face.

"Oh my God! Is that... a kitten?" she laughed.

"Clutching a bouquet of flowers," Neal added. "I actually kinda like it. It suits him."

David's hand curled into a fist again, but he managed to restrain himself. Barely. "We have a problem."

"So I gathered," Regina said, taking them in. "Where's Hook?"

"That's the problem."

"Well, I can't help you there. Not in time, anyway. It'll take me a few hours to come up with a seeking spell." She made a tsk-tsk sound. "Aren't you a sad sight?" She shook her head, unable to keep the smirk off her face. "And it's nothing compared to what Snow and Emma will do to you."

She reached inside the beaded reticule that perfectly completed her dress and overcoat ensemble, and pulled out a small hand mirror.

"Snow? Snow, are you there?"

"I'm here!" Snow's voice came from the mirror as David stood behind Regina, gesturing and shaking his head wildly in a total panic. Graham's eyes widened and he backed up on the dock, looking like he might break into a run.

Neal put his hands on his face, then walked over to bend and retrieve the hook stuck in the dock. He had to pull for a while to dislodge it.

"Where are they?" Snow's voice rang out. "Are they okay?"

Regina glanced around. "That's a relative term."

"Are they nearby?"

"Just a few minutes away, as the crow flies." Regina smiled. "I'm sure they're dying to regale you with - " Her exposition ended abruptly with a whump as Neal slammed into her from behind. He grabbed the mirror out of Regina's hands.

"Hey!" she protested, as Neal shushed her.

"Snow! Hey! Listen, everything's great and we'll be home in just a little bit. We decided we all wanted to have breakfast first."

"I don't understand..." Snow said, squinting as she peered into her end of the mirror. "Why are you covering your mouth?"

"Still chewing my food," he said apologetically.

"Can I talk to my husband, please?" Snow's patience was clearly wearing thin.

"He's uh...he's having a heart-to-heart with the groom. You know. Male bonding. Gotta go, Snow."

He grabbed Regina's bag off her arm, shoving the mirror back down inside it.

"What was that all about?" she asked crankily.

"I know where Killian is."

David stepped forward. "You know where he is? Where?"

Neal looked straight up, pointing at the Crow's Nest. "He had to have thrown his hook from pretty far away for it to have embedded this hard in the dock. We must've dragged him up there."

David's eyes widened as he stared up at the mast. "Holy shit. Let's get him down!"

They found him nude and semi-conscious, tied to the mast pole. To say Killian was out-of-sorts would be an understatement.

"Bloody hell," he cursed hoarsely. "I've been shouting all bloody morning. Where've you all been? And how did I get up here?" He glared up at David, then blinked his eyes in confusion. "Is that...a kitten, mate?"

David's face was stone. "Let's get him down."

They wrapped him in a blanket, creating a sort of sling out of the ropes and lowering him carefully to the deck. As they wrestled him into his clothing, Regina leaned against the railing, arms crossed, shaking her head and unable to stop laughing.

"This has been the best morning," she said. "Really. I haven't had this much entertainment in a long, long time."

David walked over to her, trying to keep his voice civil as her eyes locked on his face and filled with mirthful tears.

"Regina, we need your help. Can you fix this?" He gestured around at the group. "Fix us?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said. "I rather like your new look. And with Toothless and Shiner in the mix, it should make for quite the colorful wedding day."

"Regina." David's eyes were full of entreaty. "I'm begging you. Please."

She let out an inelegant snort. "Oh, all right." She waved her hand, passing it in an arc across the three of them. Their faces glowed a moment, and then it faded.

"Did it work?" David asked, rubbing his face.

"Wait. You didn't want me to leave the flowers, at least?" Regina deadpanned. She burst out laughing at David's look of pure panic. "I'm joking. You're all good as new. Not even a trace of a hangover."

David swung her up in his arms, kissing her cheek soundly. "Regina, I owe you!"

"I did it for Emma. After all she's been through, she deserves a decent wedding day. Now let me clear the cobwebs out of her groom's head." She knelt down, touching Killian's forehead briefly. He blinked his eyes, then levered himself up to his feet.

"Well now, that's better." He smiled over at the other men as he pulled on the last of the clothes Neal had brought up from the cabin. "Who's ready for another round?"

"I'd better get back," Regina said, as they walked her down the gangplank toward her waiting coach. "Do you want a ride?"

"No, I think a walk in the clear air will help," David said, holding the door for her. "We'll be up in a few minutes. Thanks again, Regina." He shut the door, and the coach took off.

"Are we sure we don't want one last drink?" Killian asked, producing his flask. "It is my wedding day, you know."

"I think Emma will have enough surprises without us making any more for her," David said, putting an arm around Killian's shoulders and leading up him up the road to the castle.

"What Emma doesn't know won't hurt her, mate," Killian said amiably. "Last night was our secret. Right, gents?"

The men called out their affirmations, and Killian smiled at David. "There. You see? No surprises."

David's eyebrows went up. "We shaved her name into your chest hair."

Killian looked down, pulling his shirt apart with extreme dismay.

"Aw! Bloody hell!"


	5. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set during The Memory Keeper**

"You know, Emma, this would go a lot faster if you'd stop fidgeting," Snow said, trying her best to keep a smile on her face. "I still say we should put it up."

"Killian likes my hair better down. And so do I."

"Hmmph." Snow said, around a mouthful of pins.

"Do I really need all this crap in my hair? Really?"

"It goes with the dress," Snow said, with a touch of exasperation. "Now _hold still_."

"And this dress is so...white. I mean it's practically blinding. Really, really white." Emma frowned down at herself. "I feel kind of weird. I'm on my second kid with two different men and you're marrying me in _white_?"

"First of all," Snow said, with a bit of exasperation, "It's _ivory_ , not white-white. And it's not 'blinding' it's just sort of...shimmering."

"I'm just saying that I don't think I'm as qualified for the white dress as you were, that's all." Emma pointed out.

Snow was suspiciously silent, looking off to the side.

"Mom?" Emma's mouth parted in shock. "Are you telling me that you two...?"

Snow gave a delicate shrug.

"He besmirched your honor?" Emma said with a wide grin of surprise. "Really?"

"My honor - and his - were completely intact, thank you. Since when do we measure honor in such antiquated terms?" She pushed Emma back around and busied herself behind her, jabbing pins into her head. "Honestly, Emma, just because you read about us in fairytales doesn't mean we're not progressive." She finished with Emma's hair and then turned her toward the mirror.

"Whoa, no! No." Emma's jaw set stubbornly. "No tiara. I am not getting married like some fairytale princess."

"Emma, please..." Snow entreated. "I know the tiara's not your style, but - " She bit her lip, blinking back some tears. "It was my mother's, and her mother's before her. And the kingdom would love to see you in it, even if it's only this once. Please?"

Emma gave her mother a dark look. Snow knew she wouldn't be able to take the tears.

"Okay," she grumbled. "But just this once." Emma looked at herself carefully in the mirror, still having a hard time believing what she was seeing. She did look like something out of a fairytale. The long-sleeved,shimmering ivory gown came off the shoulders, with a fitted bodice that ended in a low vee at her hips. The jeweled detailing on the front of the bodice featured a mix of diamonds and sapphires in alternating patterns that sparkled and glimmered with every shift of position. The gown was backless, ending in a long, sweeping train that flowed back a good seven feet.

"How did you manage this dress on such short notice?" Emma asked, turning back and forth.

"You'll have to thank Regina for that." Snow said, walking around her to give her a good once-over. "She's all about the wardrobe. The shoes were a gift from Princess Ella."

" _Cinderella_ gave me shoes?"

"Yes. And Aurora sent the bouquet, Belle sent the garter, and Mulan gave you this golden cricket charm to pin into your gown. Ariel took care of the decorations. See? We fairytale girls know how to get things done!" Snow dusted her hands together with a wide smile.

"Yeesh. This was supposed to be a simple ceremony."

"Knock, knock!" David called from the other side of the doorway. "Emma! Snow! It's time!"

Snow grabbed both of Emma's hands in her own. "One minute!" She stood looking at her daughter, unable to speak for a moment as the tears coursed down her cheeks.

"Oh, Emma. I've always dreamed of this day."

"Bet you never dreamed I'd be marrying a pirate," Emma said with a wry grin.

"No, of course not. But I did dream that you'd find true love, and that's the dream I really wanted to come true for you." Her voice broke on a sob. "More than anything." She swiped at her cheeks, trying in vain to wipe away the tears.

"Stop, you're going to get me blubbering.." Emma said, blinking hard and failing to keep her own tears in. "Mary Margaret, even before I knew you were my parents, I wanted what you had. And I never thought I had a prayer of getting it. If it weren't for the two of you, I would have never met him." Her jaw trembled at the thought. "Thank you just doesn't seem like enough, y'know?"

Snow put her arms around her, and they stood hugging for a long, long moment until another impatient knock sounded at the door. They broke apart with a laugh.

"I'd better go." Snow gave Emma one more approving nod, then opened the door for David. She gave him a kiss, choking back another flood of tears and walked down the hallway. He stood watching her for a moment, shaking his head fondly.

"She's a mess," he said, smiling as he stepped into the room. He lost the smile a moment later when his eyes landed on his daughter.

"Oh," he managed to say, glancing around wildly. "I need to sit down." He found a chair, and half-fell into it, burying his face in his hands.

"Dad?"

He shook his head, unable to answer her. Emma dragged another chair over and sat down next to him, putting her hand on his back.

"You okay?"

He finally looked up, rubbing his hands across his face.

"Yeah. Yeah, just...give me a minute." He took a deep breath in, then rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat. He looked over at his daughter. "You look beautiful, Emma." He bit his lip, hard, but the tears fell down his cheeks anyway.

"Thanks," she said, smiling as she wiped his face for him. "And I'm going to tell her you were just as big of a mess as she was."

David gave an explosive laugh. "She'll never let me live it down." He gripped her hand in his. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Emma said with a shrug.

David stood, helping her out of the chair. "You know, it's not too late to change your mind..."

"David! I'm not changing my mind." She looked at him like he was nuts. "I thought you guys were buddies now."

He put up a hand to calm her. "I have no problem with Killian and you know that." Emma gave him a look, complete with raised brows. "Okay, okay, the truth is _nobody_ is going to be good enough for you. But he's growing on me. I just think maybe you two could wait a little while longer...maybe stay here while you do..." His voice trailed off, but the entreaty was clear in his eyes.

"If we wait much longer, I'll be giving birth in this gown," Emma said.

"Let's not do that," David agreed. "We don't need a surprise birth messing up your mother's big event."

He took her hand, and together they made their way down the stairs, then out to the waiting carriage. Fifteen minutes later, it pulled up to the dock and Emma got a good look at Ariel's handiwork. The Jolly Roger was decked out in flowers from bow to stern, with a flowered arch made of hundreds of intricate knots on white rope stretched across the wheel deck where the ceremony would take place. A sapphire runner set the aisle between the rows of chairs and bluebirds circled the masts, tweeting in harmony with the string quartet that provided the music from the deck below.

David helped her out of the carriage, and they stood at the bottom of the gangplank, waiting for the signal from Red as she handed Emma her bouquet. The music started, and one-by-one, Red, then Regina, and then Snow started up the aisle, each wearing a shimmering, backless gown in shades from deepest blue to sapphire to a dark aquamarine. Their bouquets looked like seaspray - carefully chosen blooms of blue and green shot with white flowers that were so delicate, they looked like foam. The bride's bouquet was a more elaborate version of this, with additional gem accents that made it look like she was holding the ocean on a sunny day.

The music swelled and Emma looked up at her father. David gave her a nod.

"Time to walk the plank," he said, with a sideways grin.

She rolled her eyes, and up they went. A collective gasp broke from the crowd when they saw her, and Emma's step faltered for a minute. She was suddenly terrified. What the hell was she thinking? Someone like her didn't just get married! David was right. Maybe they should just see how it went - make sure nothing was going to screw things up. They didn't need to rush. She began taking shallow breaths, and spots were swimming in front of her eyes. She could feel her feet moving forward, but she kept her eyes on the silken runner so that she didn't trip. She leaned heavily on David's arm, and she could feel her bouquet trembling in her hand.

They'd reached the steps to the wheel deck, and David stopped, leaning down and kissing her cheek. Then he urged her forward and up the steps, still holding her hand. When she reached the top he relinquished her hand, and Emma felt a moment of pure panic. She was about to call him back when another hand reached out, warm and strong, helping her take those finals steps. She'd know that hand anywhere.

She looked up into Killian's eyes, and the world righted itself. He stared down at her with a grin tugging at his lips that said he knew exactly what she'd been thinking.

"Hello beautiful," He whispered under his breath. She gave him an appreciative glance, taking in the sapphire-blue velvet of his waistcoat, and smiling when she noticed the scarf tucked inside the collar of his shirt.

"You're good and caught now, Swan" he whispered, quirking a brow.

"I wasn't going to run," she whispered back stubbornly.

"Good," he said with a cheeky grin. "I'd hate to have polished my hook for nothing."

He led her up to the wheel, where Jiminy, who had been newly sworn in as an alternate ships' captain, prepared to do the honors. Hook took his place next to Henry and Neal, with David stepping up to the deck to join them.

He and Emma read their own vows, each promising a lifetime to each other, promising to love, and protect, and cherish. She vowed to always tell him what was in her heart, and to never lose faith in the man that he was and the woman he'd helped her become. He vowed to make every day they shared an adventure, and to always be her safe harbor, no matter what storms the world sent their way.

They exchanged rings, and then Snow and David walked up, binding their joined hands loosely with a length of rope from the lashings, sprinkling it ceremonially with sea water. David wished them fair winds and calm seas as they sailed into a new life together.

Killian pulled her in, and before they kissed, he couldn't help but echo that word.

"Together," he murmured, looking down into her eyes.

"Together," she said, smiling up at him.

And then he kissed his bride, as the deck erupted in cheers.

###

Two hours later, Emma was standing in the grandly decorated great hall of the castle with Belle, looking longingly at the bar.

"God, I'd love a drink," she said. "It's been dignitary after dignitary here and I just want a cold beer."

"Well, it's not every day the kingdom sees a princess getting married, you know," Belle reminded her with a coy grin. "I can't believe she talked you into the tiara."

"It's an heirloom," Emma sighed. "Any idea where my husband went?"

"I believe Neal mentioned something about getting him good and drunk for your wedding night." Belle said with an apologetic grin.

"Great."

Belle set her drink down on a nearby table. "Who's that with Rumple? Do you know?"

Emma looked over at the dark-haired woman. She looked vaguely familiar, but Emma couldn't place her. "Search me. I don't know half the people here."

Rumple gave Belle a nod from across the room, then turned his attention to the young woman he'd just stopped. He lowered his voice.

"Is it wise for you to be here?"

She started visibly then gave him a nervous nod. "I'll be careful," she said. "I just wanted a look." Her eyes moved across the room, settling on Hook with a smile.

"He's quite handsome, isn't he?"

"He's a rogue and a scoundrel of the highest order," Rumple assured her. "But yes, he is blessed with a face than an angel would envy."

She smiled softly, looking over at Emma. "And she looks like a princess."

"Well, this may be the only time that'll ever happen. Best to enjoy it while you can." He looked at her a moment longer, as if coming to a decision. "Would you like to meet her?"

"What?" The girl was startled. "Really?"

"You'll have to be careful," Rumple warned.

"Oh, I will." Her face lit up. "I promise."

Rumple offered her his arm, and escorted her over to where Emma and Belle were standing.

"Belle, Emma...I'd like you to meet -"

"Mary." She interrupted, extending her hand. "I'm visiting."

"Nice to meet you, Mary," Emma said with a nod. "Be sure and have some rum cake, but only if someone else is driving you home."

Mary laughed, a spontaneous sound of pure joy that made Emma smile in reaction.

"I'll do my best to keep my wits about me," she replied.

"Your eyes are remarkable!" Belle said, with a good deal of awe. "Really - they're just amazing. I don't believe I've ever seen eyes your color. They're quite lovely."

"Thank you," Mary said, ducking her head. She risked a glance up at Rumple, who was looking none-too-pleased with the direction of the conversation.

"Once again, thank you for your hospitality," she stammered. "But I really must be going." She dropped a quick curtsy, and second later she was lost in the crowd.

"Was it something I said?" Belle asked, a bit perplexed.

"Some people just can't take a compliment," Emma said with a shrug. She watched the girl make her way across the dance floor, very nearly getting knocked backwards when she whirled to get around a twirling Neal and Tink. The girl was off-balance for a moment, but a firm hand grasped her elbow, setting her back on her feet again.

"Thank you," she said, with a sound of relief. "I was nearly flattened for a moment there."

"Always a pleasure to help a lady in distress," Killian said, giving her a charming smile. She stared at him, mesmerized, until it became somewhat uncomfortable.

He gave her a short bow. "If you'll excuse me, I need to collect my bride and be on my way. I've a honeymoon to get to."

The girl snapped out of her reverie. "Of course. Of course - I - I'm sorry," she stammered. "I'll just let you go then."

As he turned to go, he heard her voice call softly from behind him.

"Have a wonderful life together."

And then she was gone, through the crowd, out the door and into the night. Killian made his way across the room, shaking hands, smiling at well-wishers until finally he was where he wanted to be.

"How long do we have to wait before leaving, so as not to be considered rude?" He asked her under his breath as he slid his arms around his wife from behind.

"Do we give a damn?" she whispered back, looking up at him.

"Not bloody likely."

Emma smiled. "Have you figured out where we're honeymooning yet? Now that the morning sickness has passed, the sky's the limit."

He turned her in his arms, kissing her lightly. "I say we go wherever the wind takes us."

"Sounds like an adventure." Her eyes narrowed, but you couldn't miss the spark in them. "Does that come with the package?"

"That," he said, touching his forehead to hers and grinning down at her. "And a nice, soft bed."


	6. Intertwined

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set after The Memory Keeper's Daughter - a prequel to Finn's Tale**

"So when are you going to tell me where we're going?" Emma said, standing next to her husband at the wheel.

"You'll not get it out of me," Killian smiled down at her. "Though you're welcome to use your wiles and try."

"We've been at sea for days. Whatever this place is, it had better be amazing."

He put an arm around her, pulling her in. "Patience, love. It's worth the wait, I promise."

He pulled the wheel to starboard, and they rounded a large, rocky cliff.

"Wait for it..." Suddenly the channel opened up and in front of them was a frozen fjord, covered in ice unlike anything Emma had ever seen before. It was gleaming, crystalline blue instead of white, and within the high walls of the mountainside was a castle, chiseled into glistening white marble, reflecting the blue below.

"It's breathtaking!" Emma said, glancing around with her mouth open. "Wow." She turned to look at her husband. "And you've been here before?"

"Once, on a previous voyage. I was with my brother then." He leaned back, taking a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air. "We were sent as emissaries, to deliver a trade agreement between kingdoms. I've never forgotten the beauty of the place, though I'd never make it a home - it's bloody cold up here if you haven't noticed."

"Are we sailing into the palace harbor?" Emma asked, squinting in the dazzling sunlight reflecting off the ice.

"Well, you _are_ a princess," he reminded her. "It wouldn't do not to pay the King a courtesy visit. Your parents sent word ahead that you were coming and he's extended his hospitality if we'd like to stay at the palace."

She leaned into him. "Hmmmm. What do you want to do?"

"I say we pay our respects to King Markus, and then we walk through the cobbled streets of the picturesque village below, sample the delicious food and excellent grog at the market, and then we make our way over there." He pointed across the channel to an ivy covered stone cottage, sitting on top of a low, rocky cliff overlooking the gorge. "The proprietor makes the best bread you've ever tasted, the beds are soft, and there's a lovely view of the sea."

"You had me with the food. Let's go."

An hour later, they were escorted into the castle only to learn that King Markus had been called away on an urgent domestic issue. He'd left orders that they were to be welcomed as guests, but they declined, choosing to stay at the cottage instead. Emma let his advisor know where she could be found, and offered to return again for a visit before she left to go home.

They strolled down through the marketplace, buying various gifts for family and friends, including a new cloak for David, a bejeweled bird carved from a walrus tusk for Snow, a beautifully illustrated book for Henry, and what had to be the biggest stuffed polar bear Emma had ever seen for Meriel.

"Good God. This thing is bigger than I am!" she said as Killian paid the vendor for it. "You're not planning on carrying that around, are you?"

'Course not. I'll have them deliver it to the ship before we leave." He stroked the soft, white fur with the back of his hand. "Meriel will love it." He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "And I purchased an extra bearskin for our room at home."

"We might have to take with us now," Emma said, arching a brow. "Does our room have a fireplace?"

"Look around you love," he said, gesturing toward the ice. "Every room has a fireplace around here." He tossed the vendor an extra coin. "See that the skin is delivered to the inn on the cliffs, if you please," He said to the man. "We'd like it there by nightfall."

He gave Emma a wicked smile and she almost laughed. "C'mon," she said, looping her arm through his. "I'm starving. Let's find some dinner."

They found a lovely cafe with a roaring firepit in the center and the smell of the venison they had roasting over it was enough to pull them in from the street. Hook helped Emma remove her new fur-lined cloak and settled her into the chair, ordering them both cups of mulled wine to warm them.

"Wait - " Emma said, stopping the serving maid. "I'd rather have water, if you don't mind." She smiled at Killian. "Honestly, after all that walking, I'm getting good and tired. If I drink wine now, you might as well have that rug delivered to the ship when we leave."

"Fair enough," he said. "Let's feed you well and conserve your strength."

The maid returned with two large helpings of delicious venison stew, served in hollowed-out loaves of bread, followed by a baked berry cobbler that had Emma asking for seconds. By the time they'd finished their meal and opened the door to go back out to the street, it had started snowing, and hard.

Killian reached down to pull Emma's hood up on her cloak just as a bluebird swooped in and started to circle his head.

"Post time," He smiled, reaching his hand out for the bird to perch on. Emma reached up, unfastening the letter that was wrapped around the bird's leg, giving him a stroke on his feathers before he flew away.

"And how are things at home?" Killian asked, guiding her with his arm about her since she was trying to read as she walked.

"Meriel is running everywhere and it's making my father crazy," Emma said with a smile. "He says she's an instigator, because Leo goes wherever she goes."

"That's our girl," Killian said with a chuckle. "Always up for an adventure. Perhaps we should assign her a personal guard."

Emma looked up from the paper. "Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind." She looked back down, reading again. "She's eating mashed peas now and still hates turnips."

"She gets that from her father." Killian made a face. "Vile things. No purpose to them, really."

Emma rolled her eyes, continuing. "What? Henry has a girlfriend! Her name is Emeline, and he met her at the market. That's all the information they gave." She looked up at Killian. "That's it. I have no idea who this girl is."

"He's old enough now to be noticing girls, love. He has been for a while."

"Don't remind me." Emma said, darkly.

"If it's any comfort to you, the poor boy has little hope of finding romance. Not with you and Regina breathing fire over his shoulder. It's probably a good thing we got away for a little while - it'll give him some room to grow."

He pulled her in closer as they reached the house at the cliffs, shaking the snow out of their hair and clothing and accepting a bottle of wine and a loaf of warm sweet bread with nuts and raisins from the owner as she showed them to their room.

"Oh, Killian," Emma said softly, as the door closed behind them. "You've really outdone yourself."

The back wall of the room was floor to ceiling windows, looking out over the fjord and the sea. A roaring fire was set in the hearth on the wall to the left, and a large sleigh bed took up the wall to the right, along with a doorway to a watercloset that featured a claw-footed tub big enough to hold the both of them. Leaning against the bed was their new bearskin rug.

"Shall we have a bath first, love?" Killian asked huskily. "It'll warm us up."

"It'll take hours to heat the water and fill that thing," Emma observed. Killian walked over to a large lever set into the floor and wrapped his hand around it. "Stand back," He cautioned, and then he pulled. The drain in the tub suddenly bubbled, spewing out steaming water that swirled until the tub was three-quarters full. He pushed the lever back, stopping the flow.

"This whole area is volcanic, and there are springs all through the caves in the cliffs below." He walked back over to Emma, pulling her gently into his arms. "We'll have to wait a while for the water to cool enough that we don't get cooked," He observed. "Perhaps we could pass the time in a way that would really make a bath necessary." He leaned in, rubbing noses with his wife.

"Gads!" he exclaimed. "Your nose is like ice, love." He picked up her hands, chafing them. "Let's warm you up." He walked over to the table near the fire and poured them each a glass of wine, carrying hers over to her. "Now, you drink up and I'll spread the rug."

He made short work of getting the soft, fluffy bearskin situated, then he removed his coat, rubbing his hands and warming them in front of the fire. He turned back to Emma, who had removed her cloak, but still held her untouched glass of wine.

"Finish your wine, love. We can't have you spilling it on a white rug."

She smiled at him. "I can't."

"Is it bad?" He walked over to the table, picking the bottle up and examining it.

"Killian. It's fine. But I won't drink it."

He walked back over to her, raising a brow. "It's not like you to turn down wine, love. Not since - " He stopped dead in his tracks, and his jaw dropped so comically, Emma laughed.

"Took you long enough to figure it out," she said with a smirk.

"We're having another baby?" He asked, in hopeful disbelief.

"Looks that way." She set her wine glass on the table, then took his hand. "You okay?"

" _Okay_? 'Course I'm okay. I'm bloody fantastic! This is wonderful news, love!" He picked her up, swinging her around. "Can you tell what it is?"

"I've got a hunch but I'm not entirely sure yet. Does it matter?"

"Not one bit. Though it would only be what I deserve to have two beautiful little girls to defend." He pulled Emma in, kissing her lingeringly. "A baby," he repeated, with satisfaction oozing out of him.

"Yes. You impregnated me again, you virile pirate." Emma shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Honestly. It's almost pre-historic, the gratification men get out of knocking up their woman."

" _My_ woman," he said, already tugging and pulling at her clothes as he maneuvered her over toward the bearskin. "I've always liked the sound of that immensely."

He laid her down and let his hand follow every flicker of where the firelight played, stroking her gently and kissing her with smoldering restraint until she couldn't bear it anymore, pulling him against her and begging him for more. He finally slid deeply into her, moving carefully, as though he were afraid somehow that she might break. Emma wasn't having any of that, moving with him, her hands running all over him as her legs tightened around him. He rocked them both into a long, shuddering climax that left them sinking down into the fur beneath them, warm and utterly spent.

Eventually, they made their way to the tub, where they washed each other carefully, and Emma laughed as she made designs in his chest hair with her soapy hands. He pulled her out of the tub soaking wet and kicking as he carried her back to the bearskin, toweling her off with long, caressing strokes that led to another extended session of lovemaking, this time with Emma on top, hair tangled and bathed in the fireglow. Killian offered to tame it for her afterward, and Emma fell asleep in his arms as he brushed her hair before the fire.

She came awake a little as he put her into the bed, then slid in next to her.

"Wha - what _is_ that?" she asked groggily, staring at the colors dancing across the walls.

"The northern lights," he answered. "Legend holds that they light the sky every time magic touches the land."

"That's nice," she said, yawning.

"I certainly consider my performance tonight to be magical," he postulated, rubbing his beard.

"You are _such_ a pirate," she said, not even bothering to open her eyes.

"Yes, love. And you're my woman," he smiled, rolling on his side. He slid his hand across and laid it on her belly. "And that's my baby."

###

"Are you all right to walk, love? I can hire a carriage to take us, if you'd like."

It was morning, and after an excellent breakfast of eggs, cheese and the owner's delicious bread, they decided to make one more trip through the market, pay their respects at the castle and be on their way before evening.

"Actually, I'd love to walk," Emma said. "Can we walk along the cliffs?"

"It's still quite early," Killian replied. "It'll be chilly."

"I have new cloak." She pulled it around her. "And I have a personal warming device, anyway. Remember how it was with Meriel? I don't think I wore a coat or a cloak all winter."

"The view alone should make it worth any frost upon our noses," He said with a smile. "You can keep me warm, love."

They set off down the path that led away from the village, out to where the cliffs were lower and the land gave way to rocky stretches of beach. It was wild and rugged and so very different from the forested shores of their kingdom or the sandy beaches Killian had taken them to before.

Emma carefully picked her way over the rocks to a flatter section that led closer to the water's edge, mindful of the wetness on the ground because there were patches of ice here and there. She'd just stepped over a larger, pointed rock when she saw it.

"Oh my God," she said, crouching down. "Is that...blood?"

Killian peered over her shoulder. "It certainly looks like it," he said. "And there, as well." He pointed to another splash on the rocks a little further down. It was clearly a path of blood - a lot of blood, and it looked relatively fresh. They followed it back around a rocky ledge that jutted out of the cliff, but it stopped right in front of a huge bush growing out of the sand. The bush was being overtaken by a vine growing out of the rock, to the point where it was bowed over, forming an archway that nearly touched the ground.

"Someone must've been hunting, or perhaps a predator. The animal must've tried to find shelter in the bush, and didn't make it." Killian looked around, but there was no sign of whatever it was. Still, he didn't want to take any chances. There were caves nearby and a wounded animal could be a dangerous thing.

"We should go, love," He said. We need to get over to the castle, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess so," Emma agreed. "I'm ready to get home. Only this time, you have to show me how to navigate. You promised, remember?"

"You'll learn by compass, first, before I move on to the sextant," Killian said, reaching into the pocket of his waistcoat. "And I happen to have just the compass for your lessons." He smiled, dangling it from his fingertips. He bent over, putting his face close to Emma's belly.

"You hear that, little one? This is what I used to ensnare your mother." He straightened up again. "Well, this and my stunning good looks."

Emma gave him a smirk. "I think I know how to use a compass," she said. "And besides, you - "

Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the sight of a girl, running frantically up the beach toward them, a baby in her arms.

"Help us! Oh, please my lady - help us!" The girl was dressed well, but obviously a servant, possibly to someone wealthy. She was young - probably in her early teens, and she drew closer, it was clear that the baby was newly born, still trailing an umbilical cord and showing traces of blood on it's skin.

"Are you all right?" Emma called out, "Did you just give birth? You need to lie down!" She reached for the woman, but the girl, who was clearly in shock, had a different agenda.

"My lady," she panted. "The babe 'twas hers." She glanced around. "Where? Where is she?" The girl turned frantic eyes to Killian. "Where is Sir Tristan?"

"We've seen no one," Killian said. "Here, lets get you somewhere safe. It's too cold out here for the babe."

That brought the woman's focus back on the child. "The babe," she said, clearly terrified. "He'll come for her."

"Who?" Emma said. "Who's coming for the baby?" The woman let out a shriek at the sound of hoofbeats approaching from the road. The baby began to cry.

"King Markus. He'll come for her - we mustn't let him!" She reached out with one hand, grabbing Killian by the sleeve and jerking his arm. "Please! He cannot have her!"

Emma put an arm around the woman, prying her fingers off of Killian. "Let's get someplace warm and we can talk about this, okay? We need to get the baby out of the cold."

The girl was near-hysterical now. "The babe!" she cried again, as the horses grew louder and the shouts of men could be heard above the sound of hooves. Suddenly, she shoved the baby at Emma, hard. "Take her! Take the babe! You must! Claim her as your own!"

"What?" Emma gently, but firmly tried to push the baby back into the girl's arms. "You hold the baby, and let's get someplace inside, all right?"

"There's no time! No time!" The girl whirled, pulling the baby who was perched precariously between Emma's arms and her own. The baby flew from her hands with a shrill sound and Emma cried out in shock as the tiny body slid right into the opening between the bush and the vine.

And then disappeared.

All three of them stared at the opening in total shock, then Killian sprang forward, running his hand along the branches of the bush.

"Enchanted wood," he said, almost to himself. "Something magical made this bush."

"What happened to the baby?" Emma asked, coming up behind him. She started to push her hand through the opening in the bush, but Killian pulled her back.

"Careful love - much like the wardrobe that brought you to Storybrooke, this is a portal. The child could be anywhere, and if you're not careful, you'll be next."

Emma stepped back cautiously. "But we can't leave her alone out there - wherever she is. She could be hurt."

Killian didn't like it either, but there was nothing to be done. "There's no guarantee that you'll end up where she is, love."

"The compass!" Emma said. "Could it guide us to her?"

"I don't know. Perhaps. But you're carrying a child of your own, love. I don't know what it would do to the baby, traveling through a portal. You won't even risk a glass of wine. Can you live with yourself risking this?" he asked, gently.

"We could give it to _her,_ " Emma said. She turned to gesture at the girl and realized a split-second later that she was gone.

Emma spun about. "Where did she go? She was just here!"

Killian shaded his eyes, looking down the beach in both directions. "Well, she can't have gone far. We should find her - the girl needs help."

"Maybe if we give her the compass she can calm down a little - the baby's already away somewhere."

Emma squatted down, picking up the compass from where Killian had dropped it when the girl grabbed his arm. She dusted it off, giving it a shake to remove the rest of the sand, and then stood slowly, watching the needle. She lifted it up for closer inspection, and a frown creased her forehead.

Killian was just about to ask her what was wrong when the king's soldiers finally reached them. King Markus himself was leading the group, and he swung down off his horse, jumping down from the road onto the rocks and making his way to them hastily.

"You there!" he shouted. "Have you seen a serving girl?"

Killian gave Emma a look of uneasiness, and she mirrored it as well.

"You must be King Markus," she said carefully. "I'm Princess Emma - we were just getting ready to visit the castle again after a morning walk on the beach."

The King looked impatiently up and down the coastline, then finally decided to remember his manners when there was clearly no one else in sight.

"Forgive me, Princess Emma, for not being at the castle to receive you. I've had an urgent matter that has taken my attention." He looked at Killian suspiciously.

"My husband," Emma said, by way of introduction. "Sir Killian."

Killian's eyebrows went up, but he wisely said nothing, merely giving a deferential nod and a half-bow. "Your majesty."

"Sir Killian." The King nodded back. "I'm looking for an escaped...person. She may have had a child with her. The girl is a threat and the child may be in danger. We had word that she was along this stretch of the coast. Have you seen anyone?"

"It's just us here," Emma said, truthfully. _As long as you don't count the disappearing girl and the magical, portal-hopping baby._

King Markus looked seriously angry. "Very well." He gave his men a signal. "I'm afraid I won't be returning to the castle today, Princess. You are still welcome to enjoy every hospitality there."

"Thank you, but we need to be leaving for home today. I'm glad we got to meet, even if it was just briefly." She gestured around her. "Your kingdom is beautiful."

He forced a smile. "It is. And it's going to stay that way." He glanced over at Killian again. "I wish you both a safe journey."

"Thank you," Emma said to his back, as he was already striding very determinedly to his horse. He mounted up, and with a snap of the reigns, the group took off, thundering on down the road.

"Well," Killian said, rubbing his ear and clearly perplexed. "That was...odd."

"Why did he want the baby, do you think?" Emma asked, a frown knitting her brow.

"Maybe it was his?" Killian offered.

"No. Then he would have said someone took his child. He never claimed the baby." She motioned for Killian to come closer. "And check this out." She held the compass up in front of his face.

"What? It's not moving." Killian said.

"I know. Watch." She put the compass in front of her at chest level. The needle still didn't move. She lowered it slowly, and it remained still.

Until she got to her belly. Then the needle spun suddenly, pointing directly at the portal. Then she moved the compass back up, and the needle went still once more.

Killian took it from her. "Let me see that." He performed the same exercise, lifting and lowering the compass, but the needle didn't budge at all when he did it. He stepped in, lifting and then lowering it in front of Emma, and when he reached her belly, the needles spun again, clearly pointing at the portal in the bush.

"I'll be damned. What's the bloody thing trying to tell us? We need to go through the portal? That the baby is part of your destiny?"

Emma had put her hand low on her belly while he mused, and she had her eyes closed now, concentrating. A warm, purple light glowed softly beneath her fingertips a moment, then faded out.

"Not me, Killian. Him." She said it with a bit of reluctance.

Killian looked at her, startled. " _Him_?"

"Yeah. It's a boy," she said. "And whoever that baby was, the compass thinks she's part of his destiny."

Killian tucked the compass back in his pocket. "My boy makes his own destiny," he said firmly. "Let's get out of here. My son needs to be with his sister."

Emma stood a moment, touching the vine where it tangled into the bush. "Hold on. What's this?" She reached into the leaves a little further, and her hand pulled back a heavy golden ring, twined into the vine. It had a pattern of leaves inlaid on it, circling the band. "Do you have your knife?" She asked, holding out her hand to her husband.

Killian placed his dagger in her palm and she used it to cut through part of the vine, releasing the ring. She handed the dagger back.

"Guess we've got a souvenir," she said, putting the ring in the pocket of her cloak as they turned and headed up to the road.

"We can stop at the market and buy more if you'd like," Killian offered. "Perhaps I should buy a sword. A really big one. After all, you just made me a knight."

"You _are_ a knight," she said, smugly. "I made David sign a decree and everything."

"What?" Killian was flabbergasted. "When?"

"Three months ago. I was saving it for your birthday. I even made him promise to skip the whole 'swearing of fealty' thing."

" _Sir_ Killian," He said, rolling it around on his tongue. "It has a lovely ring, but I'm not sure I appreciate you legitimizing me this way," he complained. "I have a reputation to consider, after all."

"I know," she said, taking his hand as he helped her up onto the road. "I promise, soon enough everyone will know that you're still a virile pirate."

He smiled, reaching out to stroke her belly. "Let's go home, love."

Emma laid her head against his shoulder as they headed back toward the dock.

Neither one of them had noticed the drops of blood, dripping slowly from the cut vine, sinking into the sand.


	7. Lullaby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set after The Memory Keeper's Daughter - a prequel to Finn's Tale**

_*thump*_

"What was that?" Emma's voice was muffled in the pillow, and she didn't open her eyes.

_*thump*slide*thump*_

"There it goes again," she grumbled, giving Killian a push. "It's your turn."

"Uuugh. Have a heart, love," he groaned. "I just got to sleep."

"So did I," came the muffled reply. "It's your turn." She still didn't open her eyes.

Killian ran a hand through his hair, sitting up.

"Can't go, love. I'm naked."

"Me, too. Not an excuse."

He sighed, reaching for his breeches and sliding them on. Then he padded over to the door, and down the hall to the nursery. The moonlight from the open window fell across Meriel as she lay sound asleep, with one hand stretched across the bed. Killian walked over, pulling the covers up around her. He attempted to pull her arm back in and fold it over her chest, but she wouldn't let him budge it, even in her sleep. He didn't want to risk waking her, so he smoothed her hair and left her as she was.

He yawned, running his hand through his hair again, and turned to the crib.

"Oh, bloody hell."

He glanced around the room, then finally lit a candle to shed a little more light on the situation. Once again, his son had broken out of his crib and decided to go on an adventure.

In the middle of the night.

"Finn!" he whispered, walking around the room slowly, peeking under tables and behind chairs and toys. "Finn!"

He heard a gurgling sound from somewhere in the vicinity of a giant, stuffed polar bear and a closer inspection showed five chubby little toes peeking out from behind it, where it rested against the wall.

"There you are." Killian knelt down, giving the toes a tickle, laughing in spite of his fatigue. "Come on, Finn." His hand followed the toes to a leg, then managed to give it a tug and produce an adorable cherub with a mop of unruly dark hair. He was sporting a mouthful of drool that was still missing a few teeth. Finn grabbed his father's hair, using it to pull himself to his feet, and then he was off.

"Damn!" The boy was fast. Either that, or his father was slowing down. Killian was reasonably sure it was a bit of both. He levered himself back up, and took off after his son, who was racing around the room, giving off a high-pitched squeal.

"Shhh! Finn!" he cautioned in a loud whisper. "Your sister is sleeping!"

He finally caught up with his son just as he was trying to climb the door.

"Gout!" Finn shouted, gleefully. "Gout!"

Killian reached down, swinging him up into his arms.

"No, you can't go out. It's bedtime." He gave him a kiss on the top of the head. "Come on, lad. It's back to jail with you."

He walked back over to the crib, pried Finn's fingers out of his hair, and attempted to lay him back down. Unfortunately, once Finn's fingers came off his Papa's head, they anchored themselves in his chest hair and refused to let go.

"Ow! Finn!" He tried again to lay him down, but Finn was holding himself aloft now, giggling madly at the look of pain on his Papa's face.

Killian swung him back up into his arms. "Come on, you. You've made sure I'm good and awake now anyway."

He pulled the door open, shushing Finn as he babbled, until he reached the bedroom door and stepped back inside. Emma raised her head off the pillow.

"Really? You're not bringing him into bed _again_."

"He'll only keep escaping. I think we may have to resort to manacles and a long chain staked to the wall." He placed his son carefully on the bed and reached for his shirt, slung over the back of a chair. "Watch him a moment, will you, love?"

"Muh!"

Finn made his way across the bed to his mother, who held out an arm, ready to pull him in. He bypassed her, climbed right over her and went right over the side of the bed before Emma could turn and catch him.

"Finn!" She flipped over, looking over the side, but Finn was already pulling himself up, courtesy of a nearby chair and running pell-mell toward the open doors to the balcony.

"He's headed for the balcony!" she said, scrambling to get out of the covers.

"I've got him, love. Go back to sleep." Killian made it across the room just as Finn made it to the doors, scooping the child up and throwing him in the air, much to Finn's shrieking delight.

"The kid is wide awake!" Emma complained.

"I know, and his father is too. I'll just take him for a bit of a walk." He put a finger to Finn's lips, shushing him again as they stepped out into the hallway and he pulled the door shut behind him.

"Come along, lad. It's a warm night. Let's take a stroll."

He moved Finn up to his shoulders, making his way through the main hall and out into the courtyard. It was a quintessential beautiful summer evening, and Killian found himself surprisingly more awake once they got out into the air.

"You know, mate," He said to the boy who was presently drooling onto the top of his head, "In my younger days, I'd still be up this time of night, sharing a pint with my crew."

Finn made a squealing sound that Killian decided to take as an endorsement. "Yes, those were quite the days. Of course now," He gave Finn a good bounce, "Now I've got your mother and you to keep me up till all hours of the night. Your sister's the only one with a thought to my need for rest. She sleeps like a stone, but not you, my lad. Oh, no, not you. You were born restless." He said it more as a point of pride than a complaint.

He walked on through the quiet market, not yet stirring with pre-dawn arrivals and setting up. Finn occasionally called out in his exuberant baby gibberish, pointing here and there, and Killian indulged him.

"That? That's a rabbit, Finn. We eat them. But don't tell your sister that. And over there - well, that's an oxcart someone's left beside the road, waiting for a shipment to market, no doubt. I'll agree, it looks like a fine place to play, but I can't trust you not to run off with it, now can I?"

Finally, they made it to the docks, and Finn started bouncing happily up and down, nearly unseating himself. Killian reached up, pulling him down into his arms. "Easy, there, lad. You very nearly went for a swim." Finn pointed out at the water, his hand reaching out as if he wanted to touch it.

"Sea!"

"That's right, my lad. And it surprised me not at all that it was your first word." He gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Come on, you. Let's see what there is too see from the deck." He headed up the gangplank, with Finn squealing in delight, pointing up at the billowing sails.

Once they were aboard, Killian pulled up the plank, setting Finn down and letting him run, trying his best to stay a few paces behind. That lasted for less than a minute before Finn started trying to climb the ropes up into the riggings and Killian had to pull him down.

"Apologies, mate, but your mother will have me sleeping in the nursery with you for a month if she'd caught me letting you climb. Give it another year or two, will you?" Killian flipped him around, and Finn threw his arms around his father's neck, grasping his hair with a chubby hand as he let out a giant yawn.

"Oh, ho! You're tiring, are you? Well, it just so happens I have the best nursemaid in the world at my disposal." He walked up to the bow, lowering himself onto the deck with his back against the rail and settled Finn against his chest. "The Jolly Roger and the sea below her have rocked me to sleep on many a fine night," he said, smoothing Finn's hair back and rubbing his back soothingly. "And on many a not-so-fine night, as well." He raised his brows, remembering.

"Word of advice, Finn, my lad - a rocking ship is no place to be when you're full of rum and questionable food." He dropped another kiss on his son's head, chuckling to himself. "There. My first piece of fatherly advice. I promise, I'll think of more."

Finn squirmed a bit, pulling himself in tighter to his father's chest, and laid his head down on his Papa's shoulder, sucking on his fist.

Killian stroked his back contentedly, letting the motion of the sea lull them both. He felt Finn give a tiny shudder, then he went utterly limp. He managed to carefully shimmy his shirt out from between them, lifting it up and over his son, adjusting it so that Finn's head poked through the opening, but the rest of him was covered as he lay against his father's chest.

"There now. That's cozier for us both, don't you think?" He craned his head a bit to glance down at his son, who was now sound asleep. Killian gave a brief thought to getting up and heading into the cabin, but just now, he really didn't want to move.

He closed his eyes, feeling the deck rising and lowering beneath him, listening to the waves as they slapped at the sides of the ship and the rippling of the sails as they moved with the night breeze. He felt his son's breath against his neck.

And in that moment, he believed in magic with all his heart.


	8. The Birthday Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set after The Memory Keeper's Daughter**

The party was in full swing, and Emma sidled over to her husband, handing him a cup of punch.

"What the devil is this?" he asked, giving it a sniff.

"That," she replied, "Is my mother's famous strawberry punch."

"I prefer rum," he said, setting the cup down on the table he was leaning against.

She picked it back up, handing it to him again. "I know. But you're switching to punch because I want you nice and awake for later."

That got his interest. "Later?"

Emma leaned in, lowering her voice. "It's your birthday, too…remember?"

He raised a brow, breaking into a slow grin. "Oh, I remember. I told you once Meriel was born that I'm not celebrating anymore."

Emma gave a sigh. "What a shame. I had _such_ a good present planned."

"Do I have to travel anywhere?"

"Mmm-hmm," she confirmed.

He gave her a sideways look. "How far?"

"The Captain's Cabin?"

He slid an arm around her, trying to look nonchalant. "I think I'm going to like this gift."

"Oh, I guarantee you are."

"Do I get a hint?"

She leaned in again, her lips touching his ear. "I'm not wearing anything under this dress," she whispered.

Killian's eyes flew open wide. "Gads. You can't say that to a man in the middle of his little girl's birthday party."

Emma's face was a mask of innocence. "What? I'm just making sure you're aware of the agenda."

"That's been my agenda since the wee hours of this morning, love. Your son put an end to those plans."

"Oh, so he's _my_ son when he's misbehaving?" She gave him a smirk and he replied with a shrug and a cheeky grin.

"We're going to have to start chaining him to his crib at night, you know that," she said. "Thank God the cooks come in early and saw him climbing the tapestry down here. They said he was a good ten feet off the ground when they caught him."

"Well, the cook's screams certainly managed to cool my ardor."

"Why can't the little bugger go back to sleep?" Emma complained.

"Once he's decided he's on an adventure, there's simply no stopping the boy," Killian noted. "I just wish he'd planned his escapades for a more convenient time. I was _so_ close."

Emma closed her eyes, giving a little squirm at the memory. "Yeah. You were."

His hand slid back behind her, out of view of the crowd of family and children in the hall. He stroked his fingers over her buttocks, loving the silky feel of her dress clinging to her curves.

"You really don't have anything on," he whispered back. He gave a quick glance around the room. "They're all busy playing in that fountain your father built – why don't we take a quick trip upstairs to our room…?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "And no one will wonder where the parents of the birthday girl have gone?"

"We'll tell them we were wrapping presents."

"Gasping for breath, with our hair all mussed?" She gave him a look.

"Speak for yourself, love. You're the one who's usually gasping."

Emma smiled a slow, sexy smile. "I'm going to make you pay for those words."

His overly-bright eyes held hers. "I look forward to it."

"Look forward to what?" Snow asked, sidling up next to Killian with a cup of punch in her hand.

"Why, the whole party, of course," Killian answered, with a pasted on smile. "You've really outdone yourself."

"I have, haven't I?" Snow said, smiling smugly. "I'd say this is the best mermaid princess party the kingdom has ever seen."

Emma looked across at Meriel, happily splashing in the fountain with the rest of the children, her mermaid costume and tiara glittering in the candlelight.

"She's really having a blast," Emma agreed. "Thanks so much for putting this all together."

"Well, it's not every day a princess turns five, now, is it?" Snow pointed out. Her eyes shifted back to the children. "The fountain certainly is a hit."

"It was a brilliant idea – but don't tell your husband I said that." Killian remarked, as Snow rolled her eyes at him. "Having a winter birthday usually precludes a swimming party. Building a fountain in the middle of the hall solved the dilemma perfectly."

"Well, don't be surprised if your little girl has a tummy ache later," Snow said. "She asked for two of everything – two servings of cake, two helpings of each kind of cookie, two cream puffs…"

"Yikes," Emma said. "Well, it's her party. Hopefully, she's working it off splashing in the fountain." She smiled and waved at Meriel who was dancing by herself at the far end. "Finn! No!"

Emma rushed forward, but David managed to grab Finn before he shimmied all the way to the top of the decorative mermaid at the center of the fountain. He handed him over to Emma with a smile and a shake of his head. Finn immediately arched his back, squirming to get down. The second Emma put his feet to the floor, he was running. She glanced over at Killian, who signaled her that he was on it, scooping Finn up as he dashed past.

"Come along, my boy. Let's put your coat and shoes on and take you out to the courtyard and let you run. I want you properly exhausted, and the sooner, the better."

He gave Emma a pained look as he headed out to the courtyard, and she smiled after him as she herded the rest of the children over to the corner to open gifts.

###

"Tell me you didn't," Emma said, pulling Killian aside as they helped clear the trash off the table.

"Didn't what?"

"Did you promise your daughter she could have a sleepover on the ship?"

Killian looked properly chagrined. "Well, what was I supposed to say?" he sputtered. "She gave me that look – you know the one."

"The one that says her Daddy is wrapped around her little finger?" Emma suggested.

"It's her birthday," he pointed out. "And she looks bloody adorable in that dress."

"Well she and Lorelei and Ella's daughter Audrina are taking over the Captain's Cabin tonight." Emma said. "But I managed to avert a crisis by talking Henry into sleeping aboard."

"Pressed into service by his own mother," Killian said, shaking his head. "He may never recover."

"So I guess we're land-bound," Emma said.

"We'll make do," he promised, pulling her into his arms.

"I was just looking forward to being aboard…you know….the motion of the ship and all…."

His arms tightened around her. "There you go," he growled, "Teasing me again."

"It's not a tease," she pointed out. "I intend on following through with every bit of what I have planned for you." She reached behind her, grabbing a stack of dishes.

"Now help me get these into the kitchen. The sooner we round the kids up and get everybody settled, the sooner your birthday begins."

"I'm at your service, milady," he said. "By all means, let's get to work."

He followed her into the kitchen, setting the stack of plates down on the counter. Emma started back out again, but gave a startled shriek when she felt herself pulled from behind and then pushed into a closet. He stepped in behind her, closing the door.

"What the – " She didn't get any farther before his mouth closed over hers, and his hand suddenly seemed to be everywhere at once. He kissed her for a long time, pressing his body into hers as she leaned against the shelves full of table linens behind her. Emma finally managed to wrench her mouth away.

"Killian…we can't do this in a closet," she moaned softly as his lips and tongue moved to her neck.

"Wouldn't be the first time," he said, trailing hot, wet kisses up her neck to just under her ear. "Not even the first time in this closet, as I recall."

"But what if someone – "

She was interrupted by the door being flung wide. A startled Granny stood there in the doorway, with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, for pity's sake," she said. "Can you hand me a towel? Or do I need to wash them first?"

Emma flushed beet-red. "We were just going," she mumbled. She grabbed a towel from the shelf behind her. "Here," she said, not looking Granny in the eyes as she shoved the towel in her hand and pushed through the doorway past her.

Killian followed her out, winking at Granny, who rolled her eyes.

"Don't be getting any ideas about that table, either," she called after them.

Killian caught up with his wife, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"Later, love. Not much longer now."

###

"You have got to be kidding me," Emma said, in complete exasperation.

"Finn," Killian groaned. "Bloody hell, child. You have to be getting tired by now."

"Look at him," Emma said in disbelief. "He's been bouncing for almost half an hour. He's not even slowing down."

"Bounce!" Finn shouted, jumping up and down on his crib mattress. "Bounce, Papa!"

"Sleep," Killian said, grabbing him mid-air and laying him down. "Sleep, my lad."

Finn popped right back up. "Bounce! I can bounce!"

"You can sleep," Emma said, trying her hand at laying him down, to no effect. He was back up again, and trying to climb over the bars of his crib.

She gave her husband a very unhappy look. "We're going to have to bring him in with us. He'll just keep climbing out."

Killian gave his son a dark look. "I do sometimes wonder if this child is someone's idea of a personal curse."

"Killian!"

"Oh, you know I love the lad," he sighed. "But he is seriously inconvenient at the moment."

"We could ask my father to sit with him," Emma suggested.

"Well, I'm all for it," Killian replied, rubbing his ear. "But I would imagine that might be a tad uncomfortable for you – it's not like he won't guess why."

Emma shoved a hand through her hair, probably wishing she could tear it out. "Yeah, that would be awkward." She reached down, grabbing Finn before he managed to get his other leg over the crib wall.

"I've got him," she said. "You might as well go on to bed. I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Does somebody need a babysitter?" Granny's voice came from the doorway.

"Are you serious?" Emma's eyes widened and her face split into a smile.

"He won't get past me," Granny said. "I brought the crossbow." Emma's eyebrows went up and Granny held up a hand.

"Kidding," she said with a smile. "Go on, you two."

"Thank you!" Emma wasted no time, grabbing Killian's hand and heading out the door. He stopped on the way out, leaning down to plant a kiss on Granny's cheek. She waved him off, blushing red.

"If I were thirty years younger…" she sighed. Her eyes immediately scanned the room, before she rushed over toward the balcony doors.

"Finn!"

###

"Alone at last," Emma sighed, closing the door behind her.

"And it's only half-past one in the bloody morning. It's not even my birthday anymore," he complained.

"It's your birthday for as long as I say it's your birthday," Emma said, pushing him back toward the bed. "And now it's time for your present."

"I am at your disposal," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Emma reached for a brightly wrapped package next to the bed and handed it to him.

"Here you go," she said, giving him a smile. He ripped the paper and ribbon off, and held up the contents, raising a quizzical brow.

"A pillow? And a scrap of lace?"

Emma reached out, grabbing the lace and draping it carefully across her front.

"It's a gown," she said. "It's just a very short, very skimpy gown."

His eyes darkened. "It won't cover much."

"That's kinda the point," she said with a smirk.

"And the pillow?"

She held his eyes, and dropped it to the floor, directly between his legs.

"Stone floors can be hard on the knees," she deadpanned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put on my lacy little gown, and then I'm going to come back and make you gasp for air."

And with that, she stepped to the water closet, leaving an utterly gobsmacked pirate behind her, furiously tugging off his boots.

###

It was a long while later, and Emma was slumped against his shoulder, her knees still gripping his hips as he ran his hand slowly up and down her back.

"Are you all right, love?"

"Yeah," she panted. "Just give me a minute and I'll get off you."

"Feel free to stay the night," he said, smiling. "You seem to be a bit winded…"

She punched his shoulder, then ground herself against him a little bit more. "You just feel so…good…" she moaned. She gave a convulsive little shudder as the last remnants of sensation tingled through her body.

"Don't look for any help from me," he said. "I can't bloody _move_."

"Ha! So I _did_ wear you out."

"Temporarily, love. Only temporarily."

She rolled off of him, groaning as she landed beside him. "These double birthdays are gonna be the death of me," she said.

He rolled to his side, flopping an arm over her.

"Next year we hire the babysitter _before_ we plan the party," he suggested.

"Agreed."

"And you buy two pillows," he said cockily.

Emma rolled to the side, sliding her arms around his neck.

"Two?"

"Oh, most definitely."

She closed her eyes, giving herself up to his kiss.


	9. Nemesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set after The Memory Keeper's Daughter**

"And so, Miss Muffet had me tied down to a tuffet -"

"What's a tuffet, Papa?" Meriel asked.

"Well, it's a sort of a footstool," Killian answered. "But poofy."

"How were you tied down to a footstool?" Finn asked. "She would have to loop the rope around and it's not like there are armrests or anything."

"You know, for six, you are remarkably bright," Killian said, tapping his son on the nose.

"So am I," Meriel said from the neighboring bed, not to be outdone by her younger brother. "Kai says I'm smart."

"No, you're clever. Clever's better," her father said, eyeing her shrewdly. "Now, can I finish the story, please?"

Finn re-settled himself amongst the pillows and gave a nod. "So you drank too much rum and Miss Muffet tied you down to a big, poofy footstool -"

"What are you telling these kids?" Emma's voice interrupted from the doorway. "I don't think we need to be filling them in on your drunken escapades," she said, taking a seat at the foot of Meriel's bed.

"It's a thrilling tale," Killian said, raising an eyebrow. "And quite suitable for children, if you'll let me finish."

"I'm all ears," Emma said with a smirk.

"Very well, then," Killian continued. "I was secured to the tuffet by the sticky, sinuous threads of Miss Muffets giant, killer arachnids -"

"What's an arachnid?" Meriel interrupted again.

"Spiders," Killian said, widening his eyes and waggling his brows. "Huge, hairy spiders with pincers that could snap a man's head from his shoulders..."

" _This_ is suitable for children?" Emma asked, completely dismayed.

"Go on Papa!" Meriel squealed.

"Yeah!" Finn agreed. "I want to hear more!"

"You'll give them nightmares." Emma protested.

"I never have nightmares," Meriel said. "Never ever."

"Let him finish," Finn beseeched.

Emma let out a sigh. "Go on," she said, gesturing grandly. "Wouldn't want to deprive your audience."

"Now then...where was I?"

"Spiders!" both children screamed in unison.

"Ah, yes...spiders. They were coming at me, and Miss Muffet was sitting there, eating her curds and whey, just waiting for them to finish me off, when suddenly, my hook started to glow."

"Really?" Finn sat up, leaning forward.

Killian's eyes sparkled as he warmed to his tale. "It was the venom, you see. It had magical properties, that would imbue any instrument of death with incredible powers."

Emma gave him a look.

"Yes, well..." Killian rubbed his ear uncomfortably. "And since my hook _theoretically_ could be used to...uh...hurt someone, it qualified."

"It _glowed_?" Finn's eyes were wide.

"And flashed!" Killian said with great relish. "Like lightning, it was, arcing off my hook and frying the spiders where they stood. Their screeching was terrible, and the smell of their charred fur -"

"They had _fur_?" Meriel sat up in her bed as well.

"Were you not listening when I said that they were hairy?" Killian asked. "Yes, they had fur. And with my super-powerful lightning-wielding hook of death, I fought them off, two...three...dozens at a time!"

He faltered a moment, catching his wife's smirk out of the corner of his eye. "Well, there were at _least_ a half-dozen of them," he amended. "And once they were gone, I realized that Miss Muffet was on the run, and still carrying the sack full of jewels that rightfully belonged to me."

"You won them from her fair and square," Meriel said, nodding her head.

"With loaded dice," Finn added. "But they were _your_ loaded dice, so she should have known better."

"Exactly," Killian said, pointing his finger at his son. "It was her folly for trusting a pirate to begin with. I caught up with her at the footbridge that led to a farm, owned by an old nemesis of mine, a man named MacDonald."

##  "Why was he a nemesis?" Meriel asked. 

"What's a nemesis?" Finn wrinkled his nose up. "It sounds bad."

"A nemesis is an enemy," Emma said. "Your father had a few of those in his younger days."

"A nemesis is somewhat different than an enemy," Killian added. "It's more like a counterpart. Someone's who's more than a match for you in many ways." He looked over at Emma. "Your mother was an old nemesis of mine at one time."

"Because she tied you to a tree?" Meriel asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Because she hit him over the head with a rubbish can," Finn said gleefully.

"Or because she punched you in the face with a compass?" Meriel reminded.

Killian raised a perturbed brow at his wife. "I think we've had enough story for tonight," he said.

"Awww!" the children chorused.

"Your father's right," Emma said. "We're pushing off tomorrow, and you know how he likes to get an early start." She stood up, pulling the covers up over Finn's chest as he slid back down in the bed. She ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead, then traded spots with her husband so she could kiss Meriel while he leaned down and tickled Finn's ear making him giggle, and then yawn.

"Meriel, move to the center of the bed, honey," Emma said, kissing her daughter's cheek. "You're going to roll off."

Meriel rolled over sleepily, facing the center, but not really moving much. Killian shook his head with a smile as he doused all but one of the candles.

"Get some sleep, you two. It'll be all hands needed tomorrow," he said.

"Yes, Papa," Meriel said, yawning.

"G'night Papa. G'night Mama." Finn mumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning again himself.

"We love you," Emma said softly as she closed the door. She turned to look at her husband.

"Giant, furry spiders?"

"It's a damn good story," he said. "Or, at least it was until your children took it over."

"Oh, so they're _my_ children when they irk you," she said, with a knowing grin. He started walking toward their bedchamber, and she caught up to him, bumping his shoulder with hers good-naturedly.

"Do you really think of me as your nemesis?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "Not anymore, I don't. It's been years, love."

"But you did at one time?"

He stopped, reaching out for her hand and pulling her closer. "You were my match from the moment we met, and that's a fact," he said, raising her hand to his lips.

She gave him a smirk. "You mean, when I tied you to the tree?"

His eyes narrowed, but he kept his mouth against her hand. "As I recall," he said, kissing her fingers again, sliding the edge of his tongue between them ever so slightly, sending a frisson of head down Emma's spine, "I still haven't properly exacted my vengeance for that."

"You left me to rot in a prison cell," she reminded him.

"After you stranded me on a beanstalk," he refuted, taking offense. "And you poked me in my damaged ribs while I was chained and at your mercy. You were heartless."

Emma reached up, running her fingers along the soft edge of his beard. "I wasn't heartless. You knew exactly where my heart was. That's what scared me."

"I wasn't about to let you run from me," he said, setting her hand on his shoulder so that he could properly wrap his arms around her. "And now look where that's gotten us. Bedtime stories and family voyages and our former lives reduced to anecdotes that our children recite for amusement."

"They're called memories, Killian."

He leaned in, putting his forehead to hers. "We've certainly made our share," he agreed. "And I'm all for making a few more this evening."

She tilted her face up, brushing his mouth with hers. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well, I don't have a tree close by, but we have fourposter bed I could tie you to. I'm feeling a bit...vengeful."

"Is that a fact?" she murmured against his lips.

"Unless you're not up to the challenge," he said. "You are a _former_ nemesis, after all."

She stepped back, narrowing her eyes and smiling at him before she pushed open the door to their bedchamber. She paused in the doorway and looked back over her shoulder, wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue. Killian's eyes darkened as he watched her.

"Game on," she said. "First one to break has to cook for our entire voyage."

She stepped through the doorway and he was behind her in two strides, closing the door behind him.

And as he slid the pancakes onto his children's plates the next morning, he looked down at his infuriatingly smug wife and gave her a wide smile that promised retribution.


	10. The Wind In The Sails

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for some more Papa Killian? This chapter, along with "Intertwined," is a little more of the backstory for Finn's Tale, part 3 of The Memory Keeper Series.
> 
>  
> 
> __  
> **Just a quick refresher from the other story, so you don't get lost:**  
>  __  
>  **Leo and William - David and Snow's sons. Leo is almost a year older than Meriel (three years older than Finn) and William is Finn's age.**  
>  __  
>  **Lorelei - Neal and Tink's daughter. She's a year older than Finn.**  
>  __  
>  **Rom - Red and Graham's son, aged about ten here.**  
> 

"Eleven o'clock, Finn. Repeat that back to me, so I know you heard me."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Eleven o'clock. I heard you."

"Don't get smart with me, my lad. I can put a halt to your whole evening." Killian looked sternly down at his boy, trying his best not to sound like an overbearing father. He was failing. He turned his son around, and pointed up at the mast.

"Now, when you pull out of the dock, don't go unfurling the sails right off - you don't need to be barreling out of here. Slow and easy until you're free of the shipping lane. Are we clear on that?"

Finn didn't answer. Killian brought his gaze down only to find his son watching a local merchant's daughter's behind as it sashayed down the dock.

"Finn!"

"What?" he answered, not shifting his eyes from his target.

Killian folded his arms. "Gads, was I this bad at your age?"

Finn rolled his eyes. "From what everyone tells me, you were this bad until Mother."

"Look lad, I realize you're feeling quite the man - it is your sixteenth birthday, after all - and I'm willing to step back and let you take your first voyage on the Jolly without me, but if you and your friends leave so much as a scratch on that hull..."

"I know," Finn sighed. "I'll be scrubbing floors at the castle for a month."

"Or more!"

"Or more. Understood."

Killian clapped him on the shoulder. "I believe I see your uncles now. Keep an eye out for Rom, will you? He's determined to sneak out with you, and his mother will tear my hide off if he disappears. Literally."

"She has nothing to worry about. Rom's would turn tail and run if he knew what William and I have planned." He realized what he'd just said, and tried to recover. "None of which is even remotely beyond the pale, of course... I just meant - "

Hook held up a hand. "I know what you meant, Finn. God help me, but I do. Just be careful. Think before you do something rash. That's all I ask."

Shouts began to ring out from the dock as the young men raced up the gangplank, followed by a lovely young woman with long, blonde hair and a slightly upturned nose.

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked. "This is a male-only excursion, love."

"I know," she said. "I just came to give you your birthday present."

"Hello Lorelei," Killian said. "Does your mother know you're keeping company with these hooligans?"

"I'll keep an eye on them all," Leo promised, coming up behind Lorelei. He looked at her pointedly. "Don't you have someplace to be?"

"I'll be leaving soon." She gave him a dirty look and walked over to Finn, extending a small, cheerfully wrapped package. "Happy Birthday, Finn."

He unwrapped it carefully, pulling out a very tiny vial that glittered and glowed in the fading sunlight. He held it up, turning it side to side.

"Is that..?" Killian marveled.

"Pixie dust," she affirmed. "I found it on the bottom of a trunk that held Mum's clothes. It was scattered, and there's not much there - it must've shaken out of some of the things she's worn. It may be the last that there is."

"Lorelei...this is...amazing! Thank you!" Finn gave her a hug. She didn't release him right away, putting her lips near his ear instead.

"It doesn't compare to the birthday kiss you gave me," she whispered. "But I felt like I had to repay you somehow."

Finn had the grace to flush, pulling at the collar of his shirt. He gave her an uncomfortable smile. "Yes, well, we'd better get underway. I have a curfew to maintain, after all." He shifted his eyes to his father.

Killian didn't miss the exchange that just happened, and as Lorelei descended the gangplank, he pulled his son aside. "Finn. Tell me you're not flirting with her. She's a relation."

He gave his father a sheepish look. "She's not a _blood_ relation. And it was only one kiss, on her birthday."

"She's your half-brother's half-sister. That makes her practically family."

Finn sighed. "It won't be repeated. She's making me nervous the way she moons over me, anyway. I should never have done it."

Killian slid an arm around his son's shoulders. "Finn, my lad, with a face like we've got, comes great responsibility. You can't be leading a girl down a path when you have no intention of seeing it through. Leaving a string of broken hearts behind you may sound quite dashing, but it's not good form. Not good form at all."

Finn gave him a sardonic grin. "Are you done with the fatherly advice for now? Can we start our evening, please?"

Killian gave him a gentle shove. "Go on with you, then. Enjoy yourselves." He turned to go, then stopped, as if remembering something. "Oh, and Finn?"

"Yes?"

"Forgot to give you this." He tossed him something, and Finn caught it in mid-air, holding it up to the waning light.

"A ring?" He turned it over in his fingers - it was gold and very heavy, with a pattern of leaves encircling it.

"There's a fascinating story that goes with it," Killian offered. "But I'll save that for another day, as you're in hurry to be off. Your mother and I agreed you should have it when you're older."

Finn slid the ring onto his finger, and to his surprise, it fit perfectly. He held his hand out, examining it. "I quite like it. Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Now off with you, my lad. And Happy Birthday."

###

"I'm sorry, sir. I've been given express orders." The tavern owner gave a shrug, and continued wiping down the bar.

"But you were the last one. There's no one else," Finn protested.

"She went right down the line, she did, spelling it out for all of us," the tavern owner explained. "One drink per hour, with a maximum of three. And none after ten o'clock."

Finn leaned across the bar, sliding a handful of gold coins toward the man. "Have a heart, mate...isn't there anything you can do?" He gave the man his most endearing grin.

"I'll not risk angering the palace," the man replied, shaking his head. "Or your mother. Sorry, lad."

Finn turned away from the bar, fuming. His uncle Leo sidled up next to him.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"No." Finn gave him a dark look. "My mother spiked my guns quite thoroughly."

Leo gave him a grin. "Your mother forgets that I'm old enough to buy you rum."

Finn made a disgusted sound, waving his hand at the tavern owner. "He won't sell it to you, and if he sees you passing it to me, he'll kick us out."

Leo opened his coat, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "I bought a bottle before we left home. Been saving it for just such an occasion."

"Leo!" Finn said, giving him an exuberant hug. "I owe you, mate!"

The group made their way back aboard the Jolly Roger, not trusting that Emma didn't have the whole town under surveillance. Once they shoved off, they opened up the bottle and passed them around, laughing and singing and generally making loud, ridiculous proclamations to everyone on the coastline they passed. At one point, Finn noticed William, standing morosely at the wheel. He stumbled over, putting a hand on his uncle's shoulder.

"Why so glum...chum?" He laughed too loudly at his joke and leaned back on the railing next to him, a silly, lopsided grin on his face.

"He's downhearted because he didn't find true love tonight," Leo called out, giving an indifferent shrug.

"I found true love tonight," Finn proclaimed. "Twice, in fact."

William gave him a look. "Don't brag."

"The girls were looking at you, mate," Finn pointed out. "Why didn't you talk to them?"

"It's not as easy for some of us, Finn."

"Here - I have just the thing!" Finn announced, digging in his pocket. He pulled out the vial of pixie dust. "There! This will do the trick." He passed the bottle of rum over to Leo. "Here, mate, hold this for me."

He started working at the stopper on the vial of pixie dust. "This will lead you to your true love. Or so the legend goes." The stopper came loose with a pop, and Finn held it carefully out to William. "Sprinkle this on yourself. It'll guide you."

"There's hardly any there," Leo noted, looking over Finn's shoulder.

"Maybe it's enough to find him love for just the evening," Finn pointed out, waggling his brows.

"Then I'd better sprinkle it somewhere that counts," William deadpanned, causing Leo and Finn to roar with laughter. Leo staggered a bit, falling heavily into Finn, jostling his arm. The fairy dust was jolted up and out of the bottle, landing across the back of Finn's hand.

"Oh, rotten luck, mate," Finn apologized. "That's all there is of it, too." He stared down at his hand, then blinked. He blew on it, scattering the rest of the pixie dust, and then blinked again.

"My ring," he said, puzzled. "Is it...glowing? I mean, d'you gents see it, too?"

Leo and William leaned in. "It's glowing, all right," Leo offered.

"Definitely glowing," William agreed.

Finn held his hand up closer to his face. The glow on the ring was starting to fade now, but as he looked at it more carefully, he realized that something was emerging, between the leaves circling the band.

Roses.

Small, delicate roses, intertwined with the leaves. He blinked once more, shaking his head to be sure this wasn't a trick of the rum, and when he looked again, they were gone.

"That was...odd," he muttered. He looked over his shoulder at Leo. "What time is it, anyway?"

Leo pulled out a timepiece from his pocket. "Eleven..." He did some blinking of his own, trying to get his eyes to focus. "Eleven forty."

"Bugger!" Finn bellowed. "I'm sunk. My father will be standing at the dock, polishing his hook to take to my balls."

Leo clapped a sympathetic hand on Finn's shoulder, then he leaned over and lost his entire dinner all over the wheel deck.

"Bloody hell." Finn smacked his hand over his face.

He hadn't been far off the mark. His father was indeed waiting for him, and when he saw the vomit on his deck and the empty bottle, he ordered Leo and William home straight away. Finn turned to follow them down the gangplank.

"Not so fast, Finn."

Finn let out an enormous sigh, his shoulders slumping. "Go ahead. I deserve it."

Killian put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You brought the Jolly home safely, despite your idiocy, so there's that. Were the two of them as inebriated as you?"

"No," Finn responded. "William didn't have any of the bottle. We drew straws and he was steering."

Killian raised his brows. "Well. That was surprisingly responsible of you."

Finn gave him a crooked smile. "Can I go home now? I could bloody well use a bath. Leo threw up on my leg."

Killian slid his arm further around Finn's shoulder, guiding him back toward the wheel. "You can wash up right here in the captain's cabin, once you've cleaned up the deck."

"But I didn't do it!" Finn protested. "Leo should be cleaning it up!"

"Ah, but I didn't loan the ship to Leo, now did I?"

"But - "

"Or would you rather I let you stagger home to your mother, deep in your cups and reeking of vomit?"

"I'll get the mop." Finn turned to make his way down below.

"Finn?"

"Yes?"

"Why don't you sleep on board tonight? I'll tell your mother you fell asleep while we were talking or something."

Finn's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Really. She's as like to skin me as you if she sees you like this. Be a little more circumspect next time, will you?" He reached down, scooping up the empty rum bottle. "Did you have a good time, at least?"

"It was fun," Finn said, grinning widely as he swayed a bit on his feet.

"Best get that mop before you do fall asleep. There's a good lad." Hook headed for the gangplank, but Finn's voice stopped him.

"Will you tell me the story tomorrow? About the ring?"

Hook nodded. "Remind me."

"I will." Finn yawned. "And Papa?"

"Yes, Finn?"

"Thanks." He started down the stairs, leaving his father smiling fondly at his back.

"Someday, Finn," Killian said quietly, "The horizon will be wide open. 'Till then...don't rush."


	11. The Big Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set three years after The Memory Keeper's Daughter**

"You're _what_?" Snow said, far too loudly.

"Shhhh!" Meriel hushed. "You heard me. But I really, really need you to keep this a secret, at least until I get it confirmed. I just _think_ I might be..."

"Well, you must have symptoms," Snow said. "Have you gone to see Doc?"

"I'm going this afternoon," Meriel said. "But don't breathe a word of it, I mean it. I want to tell Kai and my parents."

Snow looked affronted. "Of course! I would never ruin your special moment!" She wrapped an arm around her granddaughter. "Oh Meriel, I'm so excited! I don't think I can wait all the way until the afternoon! Let's go now!"

"But he's only seeing patients in the afternoons," Meriel pointed out. "And I'm not really up for a walk yet. My stomach is still pretty queasy."

"You need bread!" Snow suggested. "Something basic. Oh, what I wouldn't give for some saltines!"

"Are you making tomato soup?" David asked, sitting down next to his wife. "I know I'm early for lunch, but if you're having tomato soup..."

"No tomato soup," Snow smiled. "Meriel's pregnant!"

"Grandma!"

"Meriel!" David's face lit up and he jumped to his feet, pulling her up and into his arms. "How wonderful!"

Meriel gave her grandmother the dirtiest look she could muster over her grandfather's shoulder. "I don't know for sure yet," she mumbled. "I still have to go see Doc."

David pulled back. "Doc?" He looked at Meriel apologetically. "I just sent him off to the mines. It's time for the yearly dwarf physicals. He won't be back for days."

Meriel gave him a half-hearted smiled. "Well, then...I guess we wait. It could be for nothing, anyway."

"Wait? We can't wait!" Snow sputtered. She drummed her fingers on the table, thinking. "What about Blue?"

"Blue?" Meriel rubbed her stomach, taking a breath.

"David," Snow said, "Go and get some bread for Meriel."

"I'll get the day-old bread, it works best," he agreed. "Don't worry, Meriel. We're pros at this stuff." He trotted off to the kitchen, determined to complete his mission.

Snow stood up as well. "I'm going to find Blue," she said emphatically. "This simply cannot wait."

"Oh, no! No." Meriel said, shaking her head vehemently. "I'm going with you."

"You're not feeling well," Snow reminded her. "You stay here, and I'll bring her to you."

"And you'll tell how many people along the way? No." Meriel was insistent.

"She's right," David agreed, returning with the bread and a pitcher of water. "You sit right here, Meriel."

"See?" Snow said, smugly.

"And I'll go along and keep an eye on your grandmother."

"David!" Snow was outraged. David merely raised his brows, and waited. "Oh, all right," she grumped. "Let's go find a fairy."

###

"She's _what?_ " Emma shouted, her face breaking into an enormous smile.

"Marion, the baker's daughter heard it from Michael, the footman, who heard it from Geoffrey, the cobbler, whose wife said that Meriel's grandmother was bursting with the news." Lorelei explained.

"I can't believe my own mother would keep this from me!" Emma griped. "It sounds like I'm the last to know." Emma put another half-dozen pastries in her basket. She'd come to the market to pick up some more rum, but if Meriel was pregnant, she'd want these frosted scones.

"Well, the whole village is abuzz with it," Lorelei continued. "I'm sure if you were there you would have heard. David and Snow are looking for Blue, to get her to confirm the pregnancy."

"Blue?" Emma's forehead creased. "Oh, yeah...I guess she could. I'd better go catch up with them, but I need to drop this rum off with Killian - it's for his ship's stores."

"I'm heading back to the castle - would you like me to take the pastries?" Lorelei offered.

"Would you?" Emma handed her the basket, taking the bottles of rum out of it. "I'll get Killian and we'll be meet you back there. Thanks!"

Lorelei watched her as she hurried off down the road toward the docks, then she turned to make her way back to the castle, stopping to buy a baby rattle along the way.

###

"She's _what_?" Finn said, incredulously. "They've only just gotten married!" He reached down to grasp the fish he'd caught, and put his pole over his shoulder. He'd been at the lake fishing since morning, but when Leo rode up he realized how late it was getting.

"They've been married nearly three years, Finn," Leo reminded him. "You just have a hard time thinking of your sister as a mother."

"Damn right, mate. I mean, think about it - Meriel! A mother!" He looked up at Leo, who was still on horseback. "Are you sure?"

"Brenna heard it from William who was talking to Tinkerbell who found out from Ida, who works in the kitchen - she was talking to your grandmother, who was ready to start embroidering a baby blanket."

"Well, that certainly sounds official," Finn conceded. "I'm going to be an uncle!"

"Sounds like it."

"I should buy her something, shouldn't I?" Finn scratched his head. "To commemorate the occasion?"

"How should I know?" Leo replied. "I was a baby myself when my sister was pregnant with Meriel and then you. I wasn't even around when Henry was born. And Brenna doesn't even have a steady boyfriend yet."

"Your little sister is keeping her options open. A sound strategy." Finn fastened his fishing pole to his saddle, then levered himself up on his horse. "Otherwise you end up married and having babies entirely too soon."

"Just imagine yourself babysitting," Leo said with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm happy to volunteer," Finn replied. "Nothing brings a flock of women like a man holding a baby. Works like a charm." He gave Leo a devilish grin, then turned his horse toward home, leaving his uncle to follow, shaking his head.

###

"She's _what?_ Pregnant!" Regina's face lit up as she stepped out of her carriage. "Are you sure, Henry?"

"Emeline heard it from the footman, who just heard it from the stable boy, who got it from the stable master that was tending to Grandma's horse."

"Well, I'd say the timing of our visit is perfect, then." She stepped back inside the carriage.

"Where are you going?" Henry asked. "We just got here."

"I need to go shopping," she said, looking at him as though he'd fallen and hit his head. "We can't have the baby wearing rags when it gets here."

Henry smiled, shaking his head. "Right. Shopping."

"You'd better climb in, too. You're going to be an Uncle, don't forget. And knowing your half-brother, he's going to do his best to show you up and take his place as the favored uncle."

He chuckled. "Good point."

Regina's eyes narrowed as Henry stepped up into the carriage. "Oh, it is _on."_

_###_

"She's _what?_ " Killian roared. He leaned heavily against the railing. "My little girl!"

"She's twenty-four, Killian." Emma leaned on the rail next to her husband, rubbing his back. "It was bound to happen eventually."

"My girl is having a baby," he repeated, dumbstruck.

Emma smirked. "Maybe this one will call you Grandpa."

"Bloody hell. I'll have none of that - I told you when Henry started with his progeny that I'm far from my dotage. I'll not be called Grandfather until I'm old and gray." He gave her a cross look. "I've a reputation to maintain, after all."

"The fearsome grandfather pirate captain," Emma said, kissing him lightly. "You'll be the hit of every birthday party, just like you were with Meriel and Finn."

He leaned back, folding his arms on his chest. "I was in high demand, wasn't I?"

Emma tilted her head to the side, smiling. "The kids loved you."

"So they did," he said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "And the Jolly was a fine place for birthday parties."

"Nobody could even come close to that kind of fun," Emma agreed. "Our children were the talk of the kingdom."

"They all seemed to love my stories..."

"Oh yeah. The stories." Emma nodded. "Remember how Meriel and Finn used to make you act out the swordfights at bedtime? Jumping on the bed and swinging from the draperies?"

Killian chuckled at the memory. "Those were fine times." He reached out, taking his wife's hand and twining his fingers with hers. "It's hard to believe they grew up. I swear, I feel like I should still be tucking them in at night." He looked out across the water. "I wish I could still be tucking them in at night, sometimes."

Emma reached out, pushing a lock of hair off his forehead. "Me, too."

"Well," he said, pushing up to his feet. "This calls for a drink. Or maybe several. And then we need to go shopping."

"Shopping?"

"Well...my grandchild will need a proper cutlass. And maybe an eyepatch. And a few floating toys would be a good idea - we can't have bathtime without a toy ship, after all."

Emma raised her brows. "Oh, no," she agreed. "We wouldn't want that."

"Join me for a drink?" He arched a brow. "Captain's cabin?"

"We can drink out here," she pointed out. "I brought the rum."

"I know that, love," he said, stepping in and sliding a hand around her back. "But I've a need to prove that I'm still a young man." He reached out, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.

She looked up at him with undisguised interest. "Let's go."

###

"She's _what_?" David asked. "I turn my back for five seconds, and she's talking to the apothecary's wife." He stomped down the street in disgust, flinging open the door to the shop.

"Snow!" He bellowed.

"David! You nearly gave me heart failure!" She gave him a bright smile. "I was just...talking to Evelyn a moment."

David crossed his arms. "Oh, really?"

Snow's smile faltered a bit. "Yes. Well, I can see we need to be going." She gave Evelyn a pat on the hand. "It was so nice chatting. I'll stop by again soon."

"Always good to see you, your majesties." Evelyn smiled. "Come anytime!"

David gave her a smile and a nod. "Thank you," he said, holding the door for his wife.

"And congratulations!" Evelyn called out, causing David to roll his eyes and suck in a breath as he followed his wife out the door. He reached out, taking her arm and looping it through his.

"Snow...you have to keep this under wraps. Meriel isn't even sure yet, and until we find Blue, we shouldn't be telling _anyone_."

"I know," she said, with a great deal of chagrin, "But it's just so exciting. I only told a few of my most trusted friends. Really."

God only knew what the count was on that one. David rolled his eyes again. "Meriel and Kai should be the ones telling the news. You know that. Don't take their moment from them."

"I would never take their moment," Snow admonished. "How could you even think such a thing? Now come on, we need to get back. Evelyn is sending word to Blue - she's helping the apothecary gather herbs for some healing potions. Her son is running to get them now."

"Good," David said. "So let's get back to the castle, and not one more word to anyone until after Meriel gets a chance to confirm her news."

"Of course," Snow nodded. "But just let me stop in at the candlemaker's. Warmed beeswax is the _best_ thing for stretch marks." She hurried off down the street, with her husband in hot pursuit.

###

Meriel woke from her nap feeling fully refreshed and ravenously hungry. She hadn't meant to doze off like that, but her ten minute nap had turned into a few hours and now it was nearly dinnertime. Kai would be home anytime now - he'd been off helping Neal build a floating platform for the lake behind his father's castle - that way when Henry's children visited, they had a dock of sorts to lounge on or fish from.

The smell of food was pulling her, and she ran a comb through her hair, brushed her teeth, and headed downstairs. She'd just rounded the landing and when her foot hit the last set of stairs down into the hall a cheer went up that startled her so badly, she thought the castle might be under attack. She took a few more bewildered steps down until she reached the floor, and was promptly engulfed by her mother at the foot of the stairs.

"Meriel!" She found herself wrapped in her mother's arms, then her father's, then Finn's, then Henry's, passed around from person to person, all while she glared bloody murder at her grandmother. Finally, after numerous pats on the back and rubs on her belly, she was able to step back and take a breath.

"Are you feeling okay?" Emma asked. "Lorelei said you were napping."

"I was tired."

"That's quite normal, love," her father reassured her. "Your mother not only napped, but she snored. Sounded like someone released a Kraken every time she laid down."

Emma opened her mouth, then closed it again, thinking better of what she was about to say in polite company. She took a deep breath. "We stopped at the market and got you a few things," she said. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

Meriel glared at her grandmother again. "I hadn't meant to tell anyone. Unfortunately, it sort of slipped out in front of my grandmother." She raised her brows.

Snow looked sheepish. "Well...I was excited." She gave a shrug. "Babies are such _good_ news! And we got you something, too!"

"So did we," Regina said.

"And so did I!" Lorelei chimed in.

"Us too!" Leo nudged Finn, who toasted his sister with a shot of rum. Killian walked over and poured another shot for himself.

"We've got a whole pile of presents for you in the corner, there," he said, gesturing to the end of the table. "But from the looks of you, you'll be needing some dinner first."

Meriel looked around at the crowd of people standing around the table, their faces beaming. "I'm not even sure yet," she said hesitantly. "I mean, I appreciate all your support, but it's a bit premature." She glared at her grandmother again before looking at her grandfather. "You were supposed to keep an eye on her."

"She's fast," David said, apologetically. "Really, really fast."

"I came as quickly as I could," said Blue, who'd just flown in and was now hovering behind Meriel. "What's the problem?" Her face was concerned, and she glanced from Snow to David to Emma and back.

"It's me," Meriel said. "I need you. Doc is busy in the mines and I - " she glanced around at the people around her. "Well, I was going to say I have a personal matter to discuss," she threw her grandmother yet another exasperated look, "but I guess it's public now."

Blue moved forward, inclining her head toward Meriel. "Of course...but you hardly need me for what you seek. You have magic within you, Meriel. Look within yourself and you will find the answer." She gave her an encouraging smile.

Meriel looked over at her mother. "Go ahead," Emma said softly. "I certainly knew. And you're stronger than I ever was."

Meriel reached down, putting her hand over her belly and rubbing slowly as she closed her eyes. A soft, purple glow surrounded her hand, and a moment later she opened her eyes again.

"I'm pregnant." She said it simply, and with more than a little wonder. "I am. I'm pregnant!"

A shout went up anew as everyone jumped in to hug her again, and this time she was laughing, even crying a little. She even hugged her grandmother, forgiving all in the face of her joyous news.

"Thank you!" She said to Blue.

"Oh, no thanks is necessary. You had the power all along - I simply reminded you of it. I can add one thing, however, that you seem to have missed. You have more than one life within you, Meriel."

Meriel's face drained of color. "Twins?"

Blue smiled. "Twins."

"I need to sit down," Meriel said shakily, and four different people rushed forward to help her to a chair. They were all pushed aside by a very proud grandfather pirate who wrapped an arm around his little girl's shoulder and led her over to the table himself.

"Come along, love," he urged. "I know it's a shock, but that's only because it'll be double the fun." He gave her a crooked grin as he settled her in the chair. "There's my girl. After all you've managed to handle so far, I should say this will barely be a challenge at all."

"Greatest adventure of your _life_ ," David agreed.

"There's nothing like it," Emma said, running a hand down the back of Meriel's hair. "And you're going to be great."

"Just great!" Snow echoed.

"Great? She's going to _own_ it." Regina said, stepping forward with a smile. "Not that you need to ever change, Meriel, but you're going to change. And it's all good."

"It's all so much to take in," Meriel said. "I feel like my head is spinning."

"What's going on?" Kai's voice cut through the chatter of the crowd around her, who parted in almost perfect unison, leaving a clear path between him and Meriel. He looked over at her, taking in her flushed face and her family hovering around her, and was instantly concerned.

"Meriel! Are you all right?" He started forward, but he wasn't fast enough. She was on her feet and running for him before he even got halfway there, and the crowd erupted in cheers all over again. A very bewildered Kai wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her close as his eyes took in the faces around him and the pile of stuffed animals, baby toys and assorted presents in the corner.

"Did I interrupt a party?" he asked, pulling back to look at his wife. "Is someone having a baby?"

Meriel's answer was a slow smile that spread across her face, and then spread to every face that surrounded them. It only took a heartbeat for it all to dawn on him, and then he was pulling her in, hugging her fiercely as everyone cheered yet again. He whispered something in her ear, making her laugh and nod happily, and then he was swinging her around, kissing her over and over as the crowd went wild.

Kai let out a big whoosh of air. "Well," he said. "This calls for a drink!"

"My sentiments exactly," Killian agreed, pouring his son-in-law a shot of rum. "Especially since you're having twins!"

Kai looked completely and utterly gobsmacked as Snow gave Killian a dirty look.

"I was going to tell him!" she protested.

And a half-dozen people rolled their eyes as Kai kissed his wife, accepting his shot of rum with a very unsteady hand.

"Are you up for another adventure?" Meriel whispered.

Kai smiled, tossing back his rum.

"With you? Always."


	12. Gemini

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Set after Finn's Tale**

"What the hell did you do, Ondine!"

"Me! What the hell did _you_ do?" She looked around with a bit of panic, her head swiveling as she surveyed her surroundings. "We appear to be in a city."

Zale turned his body slowly, looking around. "Yes, but not in our realm, I'd wager."

"Did we...portal jump?" Ondine's eyes widened. "But we didn't have a portal."

"Not unless you were hiding a magic bean that I didn't know about," Zale remarked. "What the hell were you doing?"

"Nothing!" she protested. "You were yelling at me about that stupid piece of cheesecake and I turned to get away from you. Then you grabbed my hand and here we are."

"People don't just portal out, you know," he said scathingly. "You had to have done something. I felt the magic."

"So did I, but you know we get that anytime we touch."

"Not that strong," he pointed out. "Think, Ondine." He ran his fingers through his blonde hair, giving his sister an exasperated look. She stared at him blankly, until her eyes followed his hand.

"My hair..." she bit her lip. "My hair got caught in my talisman."

"So?" Zale put his hands on his hips.

"So...I was holding it when you grabbed my hand."

"And it amplified us." Zale let out a gust of air. "We've really done it now."

"Yes," Ondine agreed. "But _how_ did we do it, exactly?"

"I was reaching for you because you took the last slice of cheesecake," he reminded her. "And I was remembering that trip we took to New York."

"And I was thinking it wasn't nearly as good as the one I had in New York." Ondine said. "So that's it, then. We think of the same place, and channel through our talisman, and we can portal all on our own."

"Bloody hell," Zale said, his eyes lighting up. "We are amazing!"

Ondine grinned back. "We are, aren't we?"

People passing on the sidewalk couldn't help but look when the strangely garbed young man suddenly high-fived the just-as-strangely-garbed young woman. One passer-by looked around, just in case there was a film crew around or something.

"Probably a college project," she said to her companion. "They must go to NYU."

"What's NYU?" Zale asked, watching them go.

Ondine gave a shrug. "We'd better get back. The family is probably going nuts."

He waved a dismissive hand. "I should think they would be used to our antics by now."

"Zale." She gave him a look. "We just winked out of existence in the middle of a birthday party. In front of fifty people."

Zale raised a brow, looking very much like a certain grandparent when he did it. "Good point." He held out his hand. "Shall we return?"

Ondine's eyes sparkled, amazingly blue and like her brother's, a stark contrast to that pale blonde hair. "There...or here?"

He lifted a careless shoulder. "There first...then we'll come back here later."

"That sounds like a plan. And a really good one, too." She gave him an impish grin, put her hand in his, and closed her eyes.

###

Snow let out a shriek as the twins suddenly reappeared, causing Killian to whirl around, looking for a weapon. Kai put his hands on his hips in pure exasperation.

"What are you two playing at - disappearing like that! Have you been having a good laugh, watching us all look for you?" he thundered.

"We weren't here," Ondine said. "Papa, you'll never believe it - "

"What do you mean you weren't here?" Meriel asked, her eyebrows shooting up in a distinctively 'Jones' sort of way. "You weren't playing a trick on us?"

"We're all quite used to you cloaking yourselves," Killian pointed out, "But it really is bad form to ignore the guests at your own party."

"Especially when we're all looking for you," Emma pointed out.

"But that's just it," Zale remarked. "Ondine is telling you the truth - we weren't here."

"Then where did you go?" Kai folded his arms over his chest, still looking a bit perturbed.

Ondine took a breath, looking over at her brother. He gave her a short nod.

"We made our own portal. We went to New York."

"You _what?_ " David pushed away from his seat at the table, looking at the twins with wide eyes.

"We made a portal," Zale repeated. "Apparently, we can do that. How amazing are we?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's nice to know the arrogance gene hasn't been bred out of the line." She gestured toward the table. "Maybe we'd all better sit down."

"You made your own bloody portal?" Finn asked as they all moved to the table. "How is that even possible?"

"In this place anything is possible," Bryony reminded him. "But that really is amazing."

"We did it by accident," Ondine said. "I was touching my talisman and Zale grabbed my arm just as we both thought about New York."

"And you just...poofed across the realms and into New York?" Emma asked, clearly startled.

"Yes." Zale's eyes slid to his sister, who gave him a grin in return.

"Can you take anyone with you?" River asked. "I haven't been to New York yet."

"River." Finn's voice brooked no argument. "You're all too young to be realm jumping without an adult along.:"

"I'm almost an adult!" she protested.

Zale looked annoyed, and Ondine rolled her eyes.

"We're twenty-one," Zale said, with a good deal of exasperation. "For God's sake, we _are_ adults."

"You cannot possibly be that old. I won't hear of it." Finn glowered.

"You?" Killian's eyebrows raised. "I'm done with the whole bloody lot of you growing up. But the fact is they're old enough. And something tells me we're not going to stop them anyway."

Kai leveled a look at his children, then let out a sigh. "No, I suppose not." He pulled out a chair, falling heavily into it. "I've never heard of Gemini having the gift of portal travel."

"You can travel to other realms," Meriel pointed out.

"But only through the water, as the mermaids do," he reminded her. "I can't just produce a portal out of thin air. No one can."

"Third generation true love Gemini with Triton for a grandfather can," Emma deadpanned. "My grandkids - the WonderTwins."

"So now what?" David asked.

"Well, we might be able to use that," Snow mused. "Think of the things they could get for us from the other realm. Medicines. Toiletries. _Shoes_..."

"Coffee!" Finn volunteered.

Henry looked thoughtful for a moment. "If we got a Playstation or a Blu-Ray player, could we magic it up and make it work? I'd love to have movie nights and game tournaments."

"Do we really need all that?" David asked. "I'm not sure I want the children of the kingdom turning into slaves of technology, here."

"The minstrels would lose business," Snow pointed out. "And the theatres."

"It was just a thought," Henry said wistfully. "But I'd be happy to settle for some decent bagels."

"Bagels..." Emma closed her eyes. "Oh, I'd love a good bagel."

"I don't see any harm in the twins bringing back a few creature comforts," Killian said. "What do you say?" He looked over at the spot where Zale and Ondine had been sitting and wasn't terribly surprised to see that they were gone.

###

Ondine pushed her hair back off her face, and signaled the bartender for another drink. Before she could pull out her money, a hand came out, placing a twenty dollar bill on the bar.

"This one's on me," he said.

She turned to look up at the man, giving him a smile. "I can pay for my own, you know."

"I know," he said. "But why start now? You've had a line of guys buying you drinks for most of the night."

She reached for her drink after the bartender set it down, taking a healthy swallow. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"I realize that. I was wondering what a guy has to do to get your notice." He gave her an entreating look. He was actually cute, in a puppy-dog sort of way. That seemed to be the problem. Most of them were either really obnoxious, or really needy. Compared to the men of her realm, they were...lacking.

"I'll let you know when I figure that out," she said, toasting him. "Thanks for the drink...uh..."

"Mike."

"Mike. Thanks. I've really worked up a thirst tonight." She finished the last of her drink, setting the glass down on the bar.

"Well, I'd ask you to dance, but I'm not anywhere near your level," he complained. "Do you dance professionally?"

"Professionally?"

"Is it your job? Dancing?"

"Ah," she said, understanding. "No. No, it's not my 'job'. My aunt taught me, and she's the best dancer I know."

"I can't believe you can move that well after that many drinks," Mike observed. "What are you drinking, anyway? Straight soda?"

"Rum and Coke," she replied. "And I'm good with rum. It's in the genes."

"I'd like to be in your jeans," Mike said coyly, sliding an arm around him. Two seconds later he was flat on the floor with a stiletto-booted foot on his chest.

"Really?" She said, with a good deal of exasperation. "I travel all the way here, buy this _amazing_ outfit," She looked down at her short leather skirt, thigh-high black boots, red stretch-lace camisole and black leather jacket, "And this is the best I can get? Please."

She took her foot off his chest and walked away, not even noticing the crowd parting for her or the lingering stares that followed her.

###

"Come on," she said, grabbing Zale by the collar. "We're going."

"Going? What? Wait!" He swatted at her hand while desperately trying to hang on to the girl he had his other arm around, only succeeding in dragging her with him.

Ondine stopped, turning to address the unfortunate girl. "Sorry. He's busy."

The girl gave her a very unfriendly look. "Yeah. With me."

Ondine rolled her eyes. "How many is this tonight, Zale? She's got to at least be number three."

"Why are you keeping count?" he asked. "And you've had a stable-full of men around you the entire evening, so you're a fine one to talk."

"A stable-full?" The girl looked at him oddly, then took in an offended breath. "Number _three_?"

He gave her a devastating grin. "I was waiting for you all along."

She fell for it, smiling up at him with mega-watt force. Ondine had had enough.

"Zale. NOW."

He dropped his arm with a heavy sigh. "You're serious?"

She raised her brows. "Yes."

"Auuugh." He glowered at her. "All right." He reached for her hand, and a moment later, they were standing once more in the great hall of the castle. The party had long since broken up, but their grandparents were sitting on a tufted couch in front of the hearth at the far end of the hall. Killian got to his feet, motioning them over as soon as he saw them arrive.

"'Bout time, you two," he complained. "Your parents have gone to bed but I daresay your father would have gone looking for you by morning."

"Why?" Zale asked. "We're not children, you know."

"I know," Killian replied. "Believe me, I do. But you can't blame him - or us - for worrying a bit, can you?"

Zale sat down in the rocking chair across from the couch as Killian regained his seat. Ondine threw herself down into the cushy, overstuffed chair beside him, reaching down to pull off her boots.

"Ooooh, that feels good," she moaned. "These heels were killing me."

"They look awesome," Emma said. "Did you bring back a pair for Regina?"

"She can have these," Ondine offered. "I won't be wearing them again. I doubt I'll be clubbing in New York anytime in the future, either."

"That's where you went? Clubbing?" Emma's eyebrows raised and she looked over at Killian, who wasn't terribly pleased at the thought of his granddaughter clubbing in that outfit.

"Speak for yourself," Zale said. "I was having a marvelous time."

Emma closed her eyes briefly, a bit uncomfortable having to say this. "Zale - you were...careful, weren't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean...this is New York. If you're going to be..." she let out a stream of breath, but soldiered on, " _Promiscuous._..you need to have protection."

Zale looked at her warily. "From who?"

"Not from who - from what," Emma explained. "I'm going to assume your father passed on the spell that would keep you from getting someone pregnant - "

Zale reddened instantly. A sex talk from his grandmother was hardly how he'd planned to spend his night. He started to push to his feet. "You know, I'm suddenly quite tired - "

"Listen to me," she cautioned, holding up a hand. "I'm talking about diseases. Sexually transmitted diseases."

Zale's eyebrows shot up. " _Diseases?"_

"Yes. You have to be careful because some people have them, and you have no way of knowing who. They do make things you can...uh...wear...that protect you."

" _Wear?_ " Zale's face showed his complete and utter distaste for that idea.

"Splendid." Ondine sank back in her chair. "The men are pigs and the women are diseased. What an enchanting realm. Whyever did you leave it?"

"Not all women are diseased," Emma qualified. "And for the record, men can carry those diseases, too. And the place isn't _all_ bad. It's just not...like here."

"The men were so...I don't know...bland." Ondine sighed.

"That's because you're comparing them with the man-candy that roams around this realm," Emma pointed out. "And I do have to say, there's a lot of it here."

"Hey!" Killian voiced an objection.

"It's true. You are a prime example." She reached out, squeezing his hand.

"The women were a bit lacking as well," Zale pointed out. "Giggling, simpering - too much makeup. Fun for an evening but not much beyond that."

"What did you expect to find in a nightclub?" Emma asked. "You're not exactly getting the cream of the crop, there."

"I guess I was expecting more," Ondine said. "I'm ready to find a destiny."

Killian looked over at Emma, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Sometimes, love, destiny finds _you._ "

"A Jones makes his own destiny," Zale said firmly, and his grandfather gave an approving nod.

"Well, destiny is rarely found on a barstool," Emma expounded. "Please tell me you at least brought back some bagels."

"Next time," Zale promised.

"And when do you think that will be?" Ondine arched a brow.

"Not right away. We've somewhere else to visit first."

"Oh?" Emma asked. "And just where is that?"

"Another land with magic. I took a bean there by accident a few years ago - I was trying for Disneyworld - and always wanted to go back...I sailed on a magnificent ship, and even had a bit of an adventure before I came back."

Ondine sat forward. "And you never told me?"

"You would have snitched on me and gotten me in trouble. I was only sixteen."

"So what was the name of this magnificent ship?" Killian asked.

Zale smiled, clasping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes with the memory.

"The Dawn Treader."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my stories, visit my author blog for Once Upon A Time episode recaps and information on my published novels!


	13. Mother's Day

Four year old Meriel shifted impatiently from foot-to-foot as she waited for her father to finish talking.

"It's something called German Chocolate Cake," he said, shifting his son in his arms. Finn responded by grabbing a handful of hair and pulling hard enough to make tears prick his father's eyes.

"Finn! No!" He reached up, untwining his son's fingers.

"Papa!" Meriel poked his leg.

"Just a minute, Meriel," he said, turning back to Granny. "I believe from the description, it consists mainly of chocolate. And Germans."

"I've got chocolate," Granny said. "I think we'll be okay without the Germans."

"You can make it, then?"

"Uh-huh," Granny said. "But I'll also need coconut."

"Coconut?" Killian looked annoyed. "Where the bloody hell am I going to find coconuts?"

"You're not," Granny answered matter-of-factly.

"Papa!" Meriel stamped her foot. "I'm hungry!"

"Eat! Time to eat!" Finn threw himself sideways, half-falling out of Killian's arms, with his father just catching him before he hit the ground. Meriel nearly made him drop the boy when she yanked on her father's arm _hard_.

"Finn, no! Meriel, stop that!" Killian said in exasperation. "Now be good little angels and help your Papa carry Mummy's breakfast up to her."

"Finn can't carry," Meriel said matter-of-factly. "He'll just run."

"I'm aware of that, little love. But can you hold his hand while Papa carries?"

"Kai can help," Meriel shrugged. "He's very strong."

Killian looked randomly over Meriel's left shoulder at her imaginary friend. "Thank you, Kai, but I can carry," he said, smiling broadly at no one. Meriel looked over her right shoulder and shrugged as Killian set Finn down on his feet.

"Finn," he said, squatting down. "Hold your sister's hand. There's a good lad." He looked back up at Granny. "Thank you for your help. I'll come up with something."

"I'm sure you will," she said. "You're a resourceful pirate, aren't you?"

She handed him a tray laden with muffins, a pot of tea, and fresh fruit, which he balanced as best he could while trying to herd his children toward the door. Finn broke away from Meriel but didn't get far before stopping in his tracks, like an unseen force had him by the back of the shirt. He squirmed a bit, but Meriel took him by the hand again a moment later, following her father out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

He pushed the door to the bedchamber open, setting the tray down carefully on the nightstand, then he turned to his children and began in a hushed whisper:

"Very well, children, let's be very quiet and we'll -"

"Mummy!" Finn launched himself onto the bed, and Meriel, not to be outdone, let out a screech and jumped up after him. Emma let out a startled shriek, sitting up in bed as they crawled all over her.

"Holy crap! You guys scared me half to death!"

"Finn! Let go of your mother's hair! Meriel! stop jumping!" Killian waved his hand, trying to get their attention.

"It's okay, it's okay," Emma reassured. "Just let me get my bearings, here." She pushed herself back against the headboard, trying to find a comfortable position. "What is this all about?"

"It's Mother's Day," Meriel said gravely. "Grandma says so, and she's the Queen, you know."

"I'm aware," Emma said dryly. "Thanks for letting me sleep in," she said to Killian.

"Neither of us have done much of that since Finn got mobile," he pointed out. "Here," he said, placing the tray on her lap. "I've brought breakfast."

She glanced down and smiled appreciatively. "Nice."

"Finn! Put the muffins down!" Killian snapped, but it was too late. Finn had one in each fist, gnawing away as his sister helped herself to the bowl of cut fruit.

"There's tea," Meriel said, around a mouthful. "You can have that. We haven't had breakfast yet."

"You haven't?" Emma looked confused. "Why not?"

"Because Papa was getting _your_ breakfast," Meriel said.

"I was going to feed them after," Killian grumbled.

"It doesn't work that way," Emma said, watching her kids stuff their faces.

"Eat!" Finn reached for the last muffin, beating his mother to it.

Emma looked over at Killian, who was about ten seconds from having steam come out his ears. "It's okay," she soothed. "Having them dressed and fed makes my morning easier already. I'm not hungry anyway."

He looked like he wasn't buying that for a minute, but he nodded begrudgingly and watched as she listened to both children chattering at once.

###

The Mother's Day Faire took place on the castle grounds as it had every year since the King and Queen's return to the Enchanted Forest. There were strolling minstrels and amazing food and vendors from all over the kingdom and a few others, as well. There was a maypole for the children, and a jousting tournament, courtesy of King Arthur at Camelot. Henry was to be the star attraction, having been knighted just the previous year.

Once Emma had helped herself to a few pieces of fruit and half a crumbled muffin for breakfast, she got dressed and joined her family at the faire. She found her mother supervising an archery contest, presenting colorful ribbons to the children for their participation and a laurel crown to the winner.

"Emma! Happy Mother's Day!"

"I'm supposed to be the one saying that first, you know," Emma smiled, hugging Snow. "Where's Dad?"

"He's watching William and Brenna. I'll give him another half hour before I rescue him. They're running him pretty ragged. Henry took Leo to go see the knights and their horses."

"Henry!" Meriel started jumping up and down. "I want to go! Please?"

"Meriel, today is Mummy's special day," her father reminded. "And we're here as a family to - FINN!" Killian dropped Meriel's hand and took off running after his errant son, who, from the looks of him, was headed down toward the docks.

"Please, mummy!" Meriel said, rounding on her mother. "Can we the knights? Kai wants to go, too."

"Well, we can't disappoint Kai. Come on," Emma said, taking her hand. She smiled at her mother again. "We'll see you later."

"Have fun!" Snow said, leaning down to plant a kiss on Meriel's cheek. Meriel skipped off with Emma close behind.

###

"Finn!"

Killian saw him round a group of people, one of whom happened to be Red, who scooped him up, presenting him to Killian as he approached.

"Did you lose this?" she asked with a grin.

Killian nodded, panting too hard to talk.

"Get your breath," she said. "I've got this urchin." She tickled Finn, much to his great delight, and let out a squeal that surely split several eardrums.

"Finn!" A voice called out. "I know that sound anywhere!"

"Grandpa!" Finn struggled in earnest, trying to get down.

"Oh, no!" Red said, trying her best to keep him contained. "You need to go back to your papa!" She handed Finn over to Killian - no easy feat since he managed to turn a complete cartwheel in her arms as she did it - and Killian tucked him under one arm, pinning him to his body.

"Thank you," he said. "Did I hear my father-in-law?"

"He's running the petting zoo," Red said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "Two lambs, four bunnies and some ducks, I think."

"We'll have to check that out. Come along, my lad." Killian strode through the crowd, finding David easily inside a small paddock that had been built just for the purpose. He was leaning against the fence watching as the children ran and the animals played along. He lifted Finn up and over the fence, setting his feet on the ground and letting go just as those little feet started moving again. He let out a sigh.

"That kid just can't keep still," David remarked. "It's like he was born restless."

"You don't need to remind me, mate," Killian said, drawing his flask and drinking deeply. "And now we're separated from Emma and Meriel. This was supposed to be a family day," he grumbled.

"Relax," David said, clapping him on the shoulder. "There's still plenty of day left. Catch your breath and let him run for a while with his uncle and aunt."

David pointed off to where William and Brenna - who had just started walking - played under their father's watchful eye. Finn ran in wide circles around the paddock, dodging animals and grabbing at fur.

"You've penned them in," Killian observed. "That's bloody brilliant!"

"I can watch him for a while, if you'd like," David offered. "There's a vendor over by the west wall that's selling really nice leather jackets - in all sorts of colors."

"Really?" Killian's eyes lit up. "I tried to get Granny to make Emma's favorite dessert, but I had no luck. This might be just the thing." He took off at a trot, as he heard David's voice call out behind him.

"Finn! No! No climbing!"

###

It took another hour and a half for them to find Emma and Meriel, who were eating lunch with Henry and Regina. Finn charged toward them as soon as he saw food, nearly knocking Emma off the bench as he barreled into her.

"Finn!" Meriel said crossly. "You got my dress dirty!"

She shoved her brother, hard, and he responded with a slap that left finger marks on Meriel's face. A moment later he was on the ground and Meriel was sitting on him as he thrashed, and they were both getting filthy dirty.

"Meriel!" Emma shouted, turning around on the bench.

"Finn!" Killian reached down, prying the kids apart. "Behave, the both of you! I have half a mind to take you back inside and have you scrubbing floors!"

Finn was wailing now, a combination of hunger and fatigue, as it was nearly naptime. Emma settled him on her lap, handing him a meat pie to gnaw on as Killian tried in vain to brush the dirt off Meriel's skirt.

"It's ruined," Meriel said, her chin quivering. She let out a ragged sob, and then another, burying her face in her father's legs.

"Now, Meriel," he said, patting her head. "You look fine. Now let's all have something to eat with Henry and enjoy the day and -"

Meriel's sobs had become a full-on breakdown, and he reached down, pulling her up into his arms. "There, there," he soothed, kissing her forehead. "I can buy you a new dress. Would that be all right?"

She let out a watery hiccup, nodding solemnly. Emma raised her brows with an understanding smile, and Killian trudged off down through the crowds as Meriel wiped her nose on the front of his shirt.

###

"It was a lovely shade of red," he said, staring up at the ceiling. "Not a straight red like your old one, but more of a crimson. And the detailing at the cuff really set it off."

"I'm sure it was beautiful," Emma said, rolling to her side in bed to kiss him again. "Maybe we can commission another one?"

"Well you can't bloody well wear that one, now that your son dragged it into the horse paddock. It's been stomped and ground into the manure pretty thoroughly."

She pulled up to one elbow and pushed the hair off his forehead with her fingers. "That vein in your head is throbbing again," she said with a smirk. "It's okay. I'll get another jacket. The kids had fun today."

He pulled her down, settling her against him. "That's not the point," he said. "Today was supposed to be about _you_. You were supposed to be pampered. Indulged. Treasured."

"I had a great day out with you and all my kids, and my family was all around me," she said. "So it wasn't neat and tidy..."

"I'll say. What's a Mother's day without manure?" He asked darkly.

She rolled over, stacking her hands on his chest and looking down at him. "I have everything I need for a perfect Mother's day. I have all my kids healthy and happy. And I have you."

He pulled her in to kiss her, and his eyes were full of regret.

"I wanted today to be special," he said softly. "How do I possibly find anything that will let you know how much I value you?"

"Killian -"

"You're the mother of my _children_ ," he said, with feeling. "How does a man repay such a gift? They're half me and they're half you and they are entirely amazing...if a bit of a trial at times. I look at them in wonder every single day, and I know that so much of all that's good and right within them comes from you."

"You're in there, too," Emma said with a smile. "I vividly remember your participation."

"I'd be happy to give you a repeat performance," he said, rolling over and sliding his hand along her hip. He leaned in to kiss her softly.

"Mum!"

"Mummy!

Two voices called from the nursery, and Killian lowered his forehead to hers with a groan.

"I love you, Emma. And I love our children," he said. "I'll just keep saying that last part over and over because tonight, I need reminding."

"Mummy!" One of the voices was now much more insistent.

"I'll go," Emma said, reaching to pull back the covers.

"No, I've got it," Killian said. "You stay here and try not to fall asleep. I'll be back and you..." he dropped another kiss on her lips. "You be ready."

"It's a date," she said, smiling.

###

Emma stood in the doorway, and Snow stood beside her with her hand clamped over her mouth, holding back the laughter.

"I found him like this," Emma whispered. "I didn't have the heart to wake him."

Killian lay sprawled on the floor of the nursery, half-mummified in a sparkling pink blanket with a little girl's hand across his face and a boy's leg over his neck. They were all sound asleep, and Finn had drooled all over his father's arm.

"Is he buying you a new Mother's Day present?" Snow asked.

"Don't need one," Emma said. "I've got the best Mother's day present ever." She smiled and leaned against the doorway. "I've got him as their father."

* * *

_**I hope you liked catching up with the Jones's again. I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there among you! If you like my stories, please check out my author blog (details in my profile) for information on my latest published works and Once Upon A Time Story Recaps!**_


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